I wrote this post in March of 2015, nearly 5 years ago. Since then, it has generated a wealth of vitriol and praise. Back then, there was no one else writing about french bulldogs. This post was #1 before I got too busy with life, and now there are too many people out there giving bad advice. So, I’m coming back.
A lot of the hate this post has received is more less because I am espousing a whole-food raw diet for french bulldogs (that’s only partially true). While I do encourage everyone to cook meals for their french bulldog–I also use this post as a medium for letting people know there are commercial alternatives that provide most of the convenience of feeding ready-made kibbles with the benefits of a mostly raw diet. Every french bulldog food recommended in this post requires you to ADD MEAT. These are not complete foods because that does not exist, no matter what the bag promises.
There are some great recipes near the bottom. The most important thing to note, if you get nothing else from this post, is that you should absolutely get the opinion of your veterinarian as well as use a nutrition calculator to ensure you’re feeding the correct amount to your french bulldog. Below is a calculator I use that you can find here.
You cannot simply go to a Wal-Mart and buy any ole dog food and feed it to your french bulldog. Pet food manufacturers employ every trick possible to make you confident you’re making the right choice by purchasing their brand. Pet food manufacturers have one singular interest: your money. They do not care about your pets. It is incumbent upon you to do your diligence and ensure that you’re feeding your french bulldog the healthiest possible foods.
The best food for french bulldogs is a diet mostly comprised of meats with some portions of nutrient-dense vegetables for supplemental vitamins and minerals. Raw meaty bones, organ meats (wonderful), hardy vegetables (in smaller portions than meats!) like sweet potatoes, beets, and spinach, and fruits like watermelon or apples. Here’s the reality about french bulldog food (and all dog food, really): we’re feeding our pets absolute bullshit. Just like humans, our companions should not persist on dry, preservative-filled chunks of “food”.
We understand that cooking complete meals for the family dog isn’t an option for everyone. We’re all busy and the convenience of specialty pet foods is too good to pass up. To that end, we’re going to recommend some freeze-dried foods that you combine with real meats that you can feed your french bulldog in tandem with a little dry kibble for their teeth. Ideally, you would provide some raw meaty bones to your french bulldog so that the dry kibble isn’t as necessary. The raw (uncooked) bones are filled with macro and micro nutrients, as well as fats. (AAFCO is a joke)
Here’s a really great TedTalk about feeding our pets fresh food. This is a must-watch:
The Best Food for French Bulldogs – UPDATED 2020
1. Dr. Harvey’s – This stuff rocks!
Must add meat (beef, pork, lamb, fish) and oil (salmon oil is great). Like most of the foods in this list, this is a freeze-dried meal-starter that you re-hydrate for your frenchie. Since your re-hydrate this food, it makes several more pounds of food than the amount your initially purchase. So, don’t let the sticker shock hit you. It’s worth every cent.
2. Sojos – Meal Mix
This raw, freeze-dried food is re-hydrated and you add in your own meats and oil, just like Dr. Harvey’s above. Reviewers on the Amazon page seem to also use it as an added nutritional component with other foods, so this is really a versatile option for french bulldog owners.
3. Stella and Chewy’s Freeze-dried Raw Dinner Patties
I have added Stella and Chewy’s freeze-dried raw patties to this list. We have been feeding these to our french bulldogs (and even to our weening puppies!) after re-hydrating the patties with some water. You can crumble up these patties to make it easier to re-hydrate them, or toss them in a blender with water for a semi-homemade equivalent to canned wet foods. We have found that adding the freeze-dried options like this to a preparation of sweet potatoes, chopped spinach, and rice really makes for a nice meal. Our french bulldog puppies go nuts for this stuff. NOTE: This is not a whole meal. This should be used as an additive to other whole foods. it is 100% meat, so it’s great to pour over a 1/3 of a sweet potato for a quick meal.
4. The Honest Kitchen – Base Mixes
This was the first raw food that my wife and I fed our french bulldogs. You have to reconstitute it with water as well as add in some meat and oils. Our veterinarian warned us that we still need to provide something hard for our french bulldogs to cut their teeth on. We supplemented our french bulldogs diets with elk antlers and yak chews. I highly recommend you do the same if you’re going to feed your french bulldog a freeze-dried food. Alternatively, you can still provide a portion of dry kibble alongside a high-quality raw food option from this list.
You have to supply the meats . So, these recommendations are not sufficient by themselves. Adding meats to every meal you feed your french bulldog isn’t convenient for most people. I promise you, however, that once you develop the routine, you will actually spend less on feeding your pet and their health will improve dramatically. I am blessed to have a partner who is very helpful with taking care of our pets and we are able to balance cooking for ourselves and our pets. We have been feeding Sojos and raw beef, venison (when we can get it), and organ meats to our french bulldogs. We get poultry livers from a butcher and provide “never-frozen” red meats, pork, or fish from our supermarket deli to our french bulldogs. As for feeding your french bulldog a truly raw diet, this is about as close as it gets.
5. Merrick Canned Food Varieties
Really, Merrick isn’t bad. Even their kibble is okay sometimes, in my opinion. Your best friend should still be getting fresh food, but if you want to provide a savory meal, it’s hard to beat Merrick canned foods. They’re affordable for a boutique/limited ingredient canned food. It’s just good to keep around on the off-chance that you have zero time to cook a meal for your dogs but don’t become dependent on it! Moderation!
Many of you know that this list of the best french bulldogs food originally hailed Fromm as the best available on the market. In light of what I have learned about the pet food industry, I have to knock Fromm off the list. Fromm isn’t owned by a conglomerate producing 100+ brands of foods. Fromm has yet to have a recall, as of writing, but that doesn’t make them immune. That said, their dog food is not 100% biologically appropriate for canines. Instead of buying just one dry kibble for your french bulldog, you should really rotate a dry food with different proteins as often as you can. A healthy french bulldog should be able to handle rotating protein sources without any gastrointestinal issues.
So now you probably see that there’s no such thing as the best food for french bulldogs, not one available on supermarket shelves at least. All those dry kibbles either contain something that is not good for your french bulldog or don’t contain enough ingredients that are good for your french bulldog. To that end, we do not recommend you give your french bulldog a diet overwhelmingly disproportionate in ratios of vegetables to meats. Careful with chicken, as your frenchie could be allergic. All bulldog breeds are slightly more prone to a chicken allergy.
Our french bulldog (Auggie) loves the Game Bird recipe. We still feed it to him and our other french bulldogs, but we’ve greatly reduced how much dry kibble we’re feeding them. At this point, Fromm is still our go-to dry kibble, and we have been rotating in Earthborn Primitive and a couple of exotic proteins on occasion (bison, rabbit, kangaroo).
Auggie isn’t hard to please. He’ll eat essentially anything.
Here’s the truth about what makes the best food for french bulldogs: variety and source.
Essentially all dog foods are going to have ingredients that have no purpose in being there. The pet food industry is a money-market and manufacturer’s don’t give two shits about your pets. They want your money. Even those that we recommend here will find a way to cut corners. The industry invests millions in “vet education”, i.e. convincing vets that their ingredients and blends are the best. It isn’t the veterinarians fault, it isn’t the nutritionists fault, either. The pet food industry would have us believe that feeding our french bulldogs is rocket science. Informed consumers make for bad customers.
Let me reiterate. The ideal food for french bulldogs would be whole, raw foods prepared in your kitchen. Meats, raw meaty bones, and organ meats mixed with a “just add meat” pet food supplement. Soon, I’m going to be doing precisely this: cooking all of my french bulldogs’ meals for them. There’s too much risk in trusting manufacturer’s to not kill my pets. There’s no way to determine the source of the ingredients being used by pet food manufacturers, especially the protein sources, which are always by-products and waste products from the “human-food” factory-farming industries. AAFCO lets pet food manufacturers get by with murder.
Cheap super market dog foods like Iams, Purina, Alpo, and Pedigree are not suitable for french bulldogs (or any dog, for that matter). These foods are replete with grain, soy, and corn–all of which are totally unnecessary for dogs. French bulldogs can have lots of allergies and health problems without being poisoned by crappy foods. Never feed cheap, store-bought supermarket foods to your dogs.
I’m posting this huge copy/paste text from the Fab Frenchies Facebook group. It has a lot of great tips and information on feeding your french bulldog home-cooked foods. The people that run this group are really awesome and are part of my inspiration for running this blog.
Fab Frenchies Chef Hanna’s Feast:
Ok here is a revised recipe that makes a bigger batch. That we have fiddled with
4lbs beef
2lbs pork
Cook with 3 tbsp canola oil
*Drain meat of excess grease after cooking & adding other ingredients3 bags each of frozen:
12 oz peas
12 oz carrots
24 oz bags of broccoli, green beans, cauliflower and spinach.
Let thaw on counter- no need to cook the vegetables before adding to cooked meat mixture.
Add 3 cans kidney beans and 3 cans black beans (drain & rinse)<– Do not do this. Your frenchies don’t need beans. Replace this step with more meats or sweet potatoes.
Mix together and mix in 3 tbsp of coconut oil
2 teaspoons Iodized saltCool and then freeze in ziplock freezer bags.
Make a half box instant mashed potatoes in a pot. Cool and put in fridge.
Each dog gets big scoop mash taters with one cup meat and veg mix on top. In morning and And evening put one 1 tbsp of Wholistic Canine Vitamin Suppliment you can find on Amazon.Takes 1/2 hr to make. At first it sounds intimidating but is very easy.
Immediately you will notice no farts and no vomiting and solid poop
The potatoes act as the filler instead of corn that bag dry dog food has which is an allergen for a lot of frenchies. You will need to feed a larger amount in bowl because unlike dry food it doesn’t expand in the belly, so keep an eye on your dogs weight if it looks like it may lose weight give bigger bowls full or less if it starts gaining. You will never have a finicky eater and will never have to worry about dog food recalls.Reminder:
If you normally feed 1 cup of kibble, increase to 1.5 cups per feeding. Adjust accordingly for your dog’s normal dietFrom Kristy Smith:
Tips that will make this easier for you:
• Get a humongous pot to cook/mix in
• I use a storage bin to mix everything in because I cook huge batches
• Use ziplock bags to freeze and smash them flat for storage. It saves a ton of space. I use quart bags and defrost as I need them so that it never spoils. Do not feed to your dogs if it has been out more than 5 days. You can use any size bags you want.
• Batch size…I cook HUGE ones and bought my dogs their own freezer so I could stock up on supplies when they are on sale and so my freezer wasn’t full of their food. You can get great small freezers for like $150 bucks but look on craigslist, offer up or the facebook marketplace… people get rid of them all the time.
• This recipe is a guideline, I play with it all the time including different beans and proteins. Keep in mind that birds are a source of allergies for frenchies so choose proteins carefully. Also some dogs are allergic to starches so choose wisely and pay attention to your dogs. I have used quinoa and other weird things for fillers…this recipe is just to get you started so just make sure you keep lots of green veggies in there. There are people in the group that use rabbit, buffalo and other crazy stuff like kangaroo.
• Corn I don’t suggest it! It is gross on the way out and can also be a source of allergies
• You can add more meat if you want. If it’s on sale I even double the meat. The quantities on everything can be adjusted. I’ve literally cooked 20 pounds of meat at one time before.
• Walmart…lots of us hate that store but they have a great selection of veggies and they also sell packs of meat that are beef/pork combo so it makes it easy.
• I use a ninja to rice my big veggies
• If you have seen one of the old recipes, the children’s vitamin isn’t necessary if you are using the wholistic vitamins. If you are in another country and don’t have access to the same vitamins, go to your local pet store and tell them you are cooking for your dogs and want a well rounded vitamin supplement. They should be able to help you.
• PUPPIES: If you are feeding your puppies home cooked food, remember you are going to need to feed them more. I fed Theo 5 times a day. 3 servings of FFF and 2 servings of gerber baby rice cereal mixed until creamy with evaporated milk. The reason for the gerber rice cereal and milk are the additional nutrients and calcium. If you want feed the cereal after lunch and dinner if you feel like it is too much for 5 feeding.
• Water, they won’t drink as much so don’t freak out. They get lots of extra moisture from the fresh food
• Feeding size, pay attention to your dogs, you will feed them more because it isn’t dehydrated condensed nuggets of garbage that expands in their tummy.
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Thank you for this information! I’ve used it to look into and purchase for my new Frenchie pup 🙂
Thanks for posting this! I’m getting my pup end of August and this helps a lot.
Hi there, would the Fromms be suitable for a 3 month old?
I am curios too, my French Bulldog is 16 weeks and is having stomach issues while on Royal canin
Royal Canin is not a good dog for frenchies, it gives them stomach issues and allergies.
We jus brought home our 9wk frenchie Vinny Hone.. is this wat we should be feeding him.?
I have a 5 month old frenchie. Switched her to Fromm puppy food around 3-4 month she was having stomach issues. She loves it and no more stomach issues now.
Awesome! Our frenchies love the game bird blend. Fromm has a new one with a German name. Can’t think of it at the moment, but they really like that one, too.
I have a 15 week old pup that I just changed over to fromms and he loves it and it seems to be helping with a belly rash he was getting from eating iams
thank you so very much for this site. it has become my bible with my now 9 month old frenchie. when i picked her up she was eating Anament but was having such gas and would vomit on and off so i finally after trial and error put her on Natural Balance Limited Ingredient grain free Duck and Potato for puppies and it has worked out well for her but the more i do research on my own and always refer back here Fromm is looking more of the way to transition into adulthood.
Have you included Stella & Chewy’s freeze-dried line of foods in your tests? Here’s why I’m asking.
My Frenchie, Sarge Gento, and I were on a stroll when we met Pam and her Frenchie, Sy, who suffered from allergies for years. Sy spent most days endlessly scratching hives to distraction. She took him to various vets searching for relief from his skin rashes, bloating, and flatulence. No matter which state or country Sy sought medical treatment in, the diagnosis of life-long medication and an Rx diet, was consistently said to be the only option. Other than trying different prescribed medications that promised fewer side effects, this was the path Pam and Sy followed, until one day bumping into Frenchie-lover Phil.
Phil was very involved in various Frenchie groups and had a wide grapevine of friends who had shared stories of allergic conditions such was Sy’s had been alleviated by switching the dog’s food to Stella & Chewy’s (“S&C”) frezee-dried patties. Pam felt she had nothing to loose. She introduced “Stella’s Super Beef Dinner Patties,” (100% complete and balanced dinners. Natural with added vitamins and minerals. Made with raw, grass-fed beef with no added hormones or antibiotics. No grains, artificial preservatives, or colorings. Enhanced with probiotics & antioxidants.
Within one month, Sy was off his medications, and has been allergy free for years. (He has less flatulence, but is still a Frenchie, so this cannot be attributed exclusively to allergies!) Pam said she never looked back. She feeds Sy the freeze-dried patties exclusively.
I’ve been using several “flavors” of S&C for variety, mixing it with dry food. Sarge loves it! I crumble the patties into his dry food, so he gets the appropriate crunching he needs. I’d like to hear whether your tested S&C and, if so, how it matches up to those you have suggested.
Thank you for your website. I really respect your opinion and enjoy reading your posts.
Best,
Frankie (& Sarge Gento) 🙂
I saw that brand of food at my specialty pet store i go to for all my natural and organic needs for my Sophie and was wondering about it myself. I was thinking about switching her to Fromm when i wean her off the puppy food and was curious about the S&C and if any Frenchie parents have fed it to their “kids”
thanks for the info
Paula and Sophie
Hello, I’m interested on feeding this to my Frenchie. Please tell me the retio of the patties and the dry food.
Thanks
Hello everyone!
This is a great site!! Learning a lot about my pup!! I do have some questions. My Lola is about 10 weeks old and is not pooping solids. She’s on Wellness for puppies turkey, salmon and oatmeal – it make her bloated and as mentioned she poops liquids so I am looking to try something new. She’s very playful and drinks lots of water so I am thinking the food is not settling with her. Also she has this insane yodel in the morning .. Will she grow out of this? Thank you for letting me share my story!
try her on Natural Balance Duck and Potato Limited Ingredient dry food for puppies that should help. I went through it all with my Sophie who is now 9 months old.
lots of luck,
Paula
Hello – Thanks so much for all the literature on frenchies. Am checking to see at about what age french bulldog puppies are considered full grown or, at least, slow down on the growing..
Thanks so much
I have been told via research starting from 9 months old to 12 months.
Hello,
First of all, thank you for this wonderful site. I admire your dedication and love for animals, especially Frenchies. Taking the time to create this site is a testament to your compassion.
My daughter has been feeding Fromm Grain Free for her Frenchies (Chester and Eloise) since their arrival into her home when each was 12 weeks old.. Presently they are five and almost one. I also feed Fromm to my 16 year old longhaired mini dachshund. He has food allergies and it has taken a considerable amount of trial and error to locate a food to relieve his problem but thankfully I followed my daughter’s advice, five years ago, and found Fromm to be the answer. We also add a little Stella & Chewy’s (freeze-dried) in on occasion. They love this too!!!! They also enjoy an occasional raw piece of allowable fruit and veggies and always a grain free treat.
The dogs are healthy and active. The Frenchies continue to get into an occasional bug bite or sample a forbidden plant and send us to the vet because of an allergic reaction, as Frenchies do. But other than that, they are in terrific health and we consider Fromm the best!!!.
Thank you again and I look forward to more posts.
Hi,
As a puppy, my French Bulldog was eating Fromm grain free puppy food and did very well on it. Now that she is a year old, I am looking to switch her to an adult formula. My groomer recommended Taste Of The Wild because it contains necessary probiotics and Fromm does not. Through much research, I can confirm that Taste Of The Wild does contain probiotics but I can’t confirm that Fromm does not. Does anyone have any experience in this?
Yes Fromm does have probiotics in their dry food. i just transtioned my 10month old Frenchie to Fromm’s Surf & Turf and she loves it.
We rescued a 10 month old male frenchie. I am feeding him natural balance puppy food. Mr. Pickles has gained over 11 pounds in a month. He looks like a white, baby pig. I only give him 1/2 cup twice a day.
Has anyone else experienced this rapid weight gain with this product?
yes my little girl gained quickly while on it and she is also now 10 months old, so i switched her to Fromm’s Surf & Turf and she loves it. weight has slowed down since she has been on it. hope this helps you.
Thank you for this info. I get my pup this week and I’m just a wreck and want to make sure he’s good with his food.
My pup is being fed Natural choice (chicken). I want the best for him. He’s almost 8 weeks old. He’s comes home this week. My question, should I switch him to something better and if yes, which one? So many choices. Thanks.
I was checking out all the food because we are about to go from puppy to adult food and the girl at my local store said Fromm Lamb and Lentil was suggested by a vet she knows because it has less dust than regular dog food but it was just the lamb and lentil variety. Since I’m getting this information third hand I would double check it’s validity but it’s something to consider with their breathing.
I have a 5 yr old frenchie on crate rest for IVDD. He also suffers from allergies and breaks out in bumps under is fur. Poor baby. I have tried so many different foods. The doctor did prescribe the science diet for skin allergies. He did well for about 4 months. The food was extremely exspensive and I gave to buy it from my vet because it’s a prescriptions. Then I had a few frenchie moms tell me that science diet is not a good food company. So I went back to blue buffalo grain free and he is breaking out in bumps again :(. Please help! What food should I feed him. My poor DeeOGee is so depressed on crate rest and I want him to at least be happy with his daily meals.
How progressive is his IVDD? Is he still able to walk? What reasons were cited about Science Diet being bad for frenchies? Note that Science Diet comes in both prescription and non-prescription forms. We don’t feed science diet to our frenchies, but we’ve been fortunate to not have any issues with allergies other than the occasional bout of sneezing. We use air purifiers like this one (http://amzn.to/2e52eM7) in our house to cut back on dust and pollens (this helps). We also recommend you install a high-micron rated air filter in your home’s furnace/HVAC system to further reduce airborne allergens. Here’s a good example: http://amzn.to/2dS3lgu
Have you had your vet perform an allergy test? Were they able to tell you anything conclusive about the results? Any specifics allergens to look out for? This can really help in forming a plan to manage your frenchie’s allergies.
Everything that has potato in it makes my little frenchie’s ears accumulate yeast!!! I am feeding him Petcurean GO! Duck.. Duck is a cooling protein and especially for dogs that tend to be pink and have allergies is the best. Rabbit is also a cooling protein.
This is excellent information. Thanks for reading. I’m going to pickup some of this food and try it out with our two frenchies. Thanks for the recommendation!
Does anyone have any info/opinions on feeding Frenchies cooked organic “human food”?? Ex chicken breast, potatoes and veggies? I’ve had pit bulls my whole life all fed organic cooked meats and veggies and they have all lived long, healthy, wonderful lives with beautiful coats, no health issues, no allergies and the energy of puppies long into their adult years. Any knowledge to share?
We occasionally feed our french bulldogs sweet potatoes, a little raw 98% lean ground chuck, and a spoonful of cottage cheese. They love it is a special treat. If we want to prepare a regular cooked meal for our frenchies, we give them a couple of spoonfuls of rice, some cooked sweet potato, and some cooked and shredded chicken breast. The only thing to go easy on is the cottage cheese, it definitely isn’t something a dog would eat “in the wild” but they absolutely love it and it does offer some health benefits. There are plenty of people who espouse that feeding dogs “real food” (that is raw, cooked vegetables, meats, et cetera) instead of kibble will dramatically improve their health and lifespan when done correctly. I plan on writing a post about this in the near future.
Hi Jordan! My husband and I just got a puppy (9weeks old) and we would love to feed her the heathiest way possible. we heard that frenchies have lots of allergies so we started doing some research. Some says dried food is better for dogs to digest, and some says “real food” is much much better regardless. I want to try to feed my little girl real food but like you said, I am not sure what is “done correctly”. So it will be really helpful to learn. can’t wait to see your post about this! 🙂
One more thing, is it ok for me to feed her some cooked rice + steamed sweet potato + chicken breasts or is she too young?
Hey Sunny,
Thanks for reading and checking out the blog! We’re very humbled to hear from readers like yourself.
On the topic of what to feed your fur-baby: French bulldogs can have allergy problems, but it isn’t a sure thing. Most frenchies will be perfectly healthy and happy to eat just about anything. It’s a great thing to try and feed your french bulldog the healthiest diet possible, regardless. We highly recommend the Fromm brand of foods, but other readers here (and myself included) have had lots of luck feeding other grain-free limited-ingredient foods. Your french bulldog will show a preference for some types and flavors of food over others, so you’ll have to experiment initially to see what she likes.
Dry food, or “hard kibble” has some distinct benefits, most notably, it’s great for your frenchie’s teeth. French bulldogs are natural chewers, and while they’re young and producing teeth, they’re going to appreciate having the hard kibble to help with teething. As your french bulldog gets older, a high-quality hard kibble will help keep your french bulldog’s teeth healthy and plaque-free (although the occasional cleaning is still necessary). Be wary of giving her real bones, which can splinter and cause digestive issues. Instead, opt for Yak milk chews, which is an extremely hard Yak cheese-based chew stick. You can also see if she likes antlers of various types; our frenchies love deer antlers to chew on.
“Real food”, “table food”, or “people food” is a great option, but with some caveats. French bulldogs don’t need an extremely diverse diet, but they have stringent nutrient requirements like any living being. Further, most “real foods” won’t provide the teeth-cleansing and digestive benefits of “hard kibble”. We feed our french bulldogs “real food” around 1-2 times per week. Feeding your french bulldog based on the guide in my other post, you’ll be feeding your frenchie 2-3 a day, or 14-21 times per week, based on total meal size and your available time. We opt to make 1-2 of those 14-21 meals a “real food” meal. You’ll find people often use the acronym B.A.R.F. (lol), or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, when talking about feeding canines raw foods or human foods. Domestication has certainly altered the biology of canines over the past 10000 years, but nonetheless, they’re still animals with animalistic urgres. We highly recommend rice, sweet potatoes, and a protein of some variety. We also occasionally feed our french bulldogs a couple of spoonfuls of raw ground beef and cottage cheese as a treat to help satisfy their carnal cravings.
Here are some possible combinations of “real food” that your french bulldog will love:
1. Cooked sweet potato, boiled chicken, and rice
2. Lightly-seared and browned ground beef, rice, and a couple of apple slices
3. Unflavored greek yogurt (good source of protein) and some canned pumpkin puree
Here are some foods to get you started. We recommend providing hard kibble and one to two of these kinds of meals weekly so your french bulldog has something to look forward to!
Vegetables: Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Okra, Green Beans, Peas, Pumpkin, Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley, Celery, Sweet Potatoes
Meats and Organs: Duck, Lamb, Beef, Rabbit, Venison, Wild game birds such as Pheasant or Partridge, Chicken – chicken necks, thighs, wings and even feet are great choices (chickens have softer bones, but you should still be careful about bones), Whole fish like Trout, Salmon, Haddock (you can even freeze raw fish meat and feed it as a treat), Offal such as liver, kidneys and so on are excellent but incredibly rich so use these very infrequently.
Fruits: Apples, Bananas, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, A variety of Melons
Dairy (use sparingly): Cottage Cheese, Plain Yogurt, Raw Eggs
If you find that your french bulldog displays signs of better healthy and vitality and overall energy and mood when she’s given “real food”, try incorporating hard kibble into her raw foods and feed her combination raw food/hard kibble meals full-time. There’s no harm in it and some people claim it can make all the difference in the health and longevity of a french bulldog or other molosser breeds. I personally have not experimented feeding “real food” full-time, as it can get a little pricey if you do it with conviction.
Hopefully this helps, Sunny! Stick around and let me know how your frenchie is doing and feel free to reach out any time at web [@] allaboutfrenchies.com
-J
Hi Jordan!
Whooa! This was amazingly helpful! Thank you so so so much for your reply!!! And i think i will for sure mix dried dog food and real food as you suggested. My husband and I had no idea what to do but when we found your blog, it was a huge relief to know there’s a place we can ask questions about our baby. We will be back with more questions soon! 😀
Hey again,
No problem. I’m here to help. Keep me in the loop.
-Jordan
I feed my 16 week old frenchie Orijen puppy food. She hasn’t had any tummy issues and gobbles it down like nobody’s business. Just wondering if you or anyone have ever successfully fed orijen long term? It has a lot of ingredients, but it seems like a great food. I’m scared to switch her this young, but this is not the first time I’ve read Fromm is way better. Thank you!
Hey Merissa,
We tried Orijen a couple of times when our oldest frenchie was a puppy, but we had trouble finding it in our area. That said, you’re correct to worry about switching right away. At 16 weeks, you’re fine to keep feeding Orijen puppy formula, especially if she likes it and it isn’t causing problems. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, ya know? Now, if you want to try Fromm, they offer 4lb bags and also have a puppy blend. You won’t do any harm letting your little girl try it, just be sure to blend it with your current Orijen food a little bit at a time, gradually increasing the amount of Fromm (or other brand) that you want to try. Fromm is indeed great food, but as long as Orijen is providing the correct mix of nutrients and your girl likes it, there’s no reason to switch immediately or worry about it. You can switch her to Fromm or another food you want to try when she’s a little older.
Keep me in the loop and let me know how it goes!
Hey! Thank you for the information, I appreciate it a lot. So it actually doesn’t look like we will be tying Fromm anytime soon. I took Francine to the vet on Friday because she had this rash that hadn’t gone away since her last visit about two weeks ago. Vet says it’s likely food allergies, which I guess can also cause the tear stains my she has. He recommended we switch to limited ingredient without chicken, so we switched her to natural balance duck and potato. So far so good as the rash is showing improvement. It just irks me that I know this is not the best for her growth at this age (17 weeks tomorrow) because of the lower amount of protein. Give and take I guess. Luckily we didn’t have any tummy issues with the switch since it was abrupt. Possibly later down the road we can finally try Fromm!
Hey! Good to hear back from you. Good call on getting with your vet. You shouldn’t have much to worry about, so long as she’s getting enough of the duck and potato formula, she’ll be fine. If you want to experiment with getting her a little extra protein, try feeding her some raw ground beef or raw salmon. Naturally, if it upsets her tummy, stop feeding it, but a little cooked sweet potato and raw ground beef or venison can really boost your frenchie’s protein and carbohydrate intake. Hopefully the limited ingredient food will work on that rash. Keep us in the loop!
I just stumbled upon your blog in a search to find a different food for my Frenchie. He is almost 5 years old and is in fairly good health (no allergies or health problems but gassy and sensitive tummy in general). We’ve been feeding him Orijen or ACANA since we got him as a pup. I purchase the fish varieties most often, but do rotate for variety. Over the last 2-3 months, he has started scarfing his food down like he’s starving. He doesn’t even chew. He just swallows his food whole then looks at us like he hasn’t been fed. He’s actually gaining weight in spite of his starving behavior. We switched to a slow feeder, which does slow him down, but doesn’t help him feel any fuller.
Suspecting thyroid issues or something similar, we took him in for full blood panel a week ago. All of the blood work is in and he’s the picture of health (thankfully), but the matter of his new eating behaviors remains unsolved. The vet suggested changing to a lower calorie food and feeding him more of it. I’m trying to figure out the best course of action (which food, how much, supplements, adding more veggies, snacks, etc.) This website is an excellent source of information, so thank you.
I’m a little curious if others have experienced this change of attitude towards food and/or if you have any good advice.
Hey Becky,
Sorry to hear about your little buddy and his appetite. Sounds like you’re doing well with providing high quality foods. A lower total caloric content per meal over more frequent meals is a good place to start. Just be sure he’s getting all the nutrients he needs. What is his current weight? Have you tried giving him any raw food meals, such as some raw venison or beef, rice, cooked sweet potatoes, and a little cottage cheese? You might be able to trick his appetite by feeding him a couple of “raw/real food” meals; ultimately you want to satiate whatever is causing his hunger. You shouldn’t have much to worry about unless he starts to exceed 30ish pounds.
Thank you so much for reading, we really appreciate it. Hopefully this helps.
Just curious what formula of Taste of the Wild you recommend. We have our two on the Pacific Stream formula, but our female doesn’t seem to like the flavor. Our male will just gobble it up, no problem, but she needs more convincing.
Hey Mallory,
We had luck with the Pacific Stream formula, but we haven’t fed it in a while. If you want to try another formula/blend, you could give their High Prairie blend a shot. Our big fat boy loved it, but that isn’t saying much. He’ll eat anything. If you can find Fromm, we have also had a lot of luck with their blends, as well.
I have a 8 month old blue frenchie puppy….we have had gi issues with him ever since we got him. We have tried Taste of the Wild, high prairie forumla, blue buffalo chicken puppy, and he is now on Performatin limited ingredient turkey/potato formula. He is just still not right with his gi issues…..any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are so many choice and we want to make the best choice we can for him. (I think anything with chicken in it is out, he goes to the bathroom 12+ times a day when he has anything with chicken)
Have you had him tested for worms? Is he experiencing diarrhea? You might want to try making him a few meals (oh, say, 3-6) over the course of 1-2 days. I recommend sweat potato, lightly browned raw beef or venison, a dollop of cottage cheese, and some brown rice. You can cook these in advance and refrigerate them and then heat them very gently later on if he doesn’t want to eat cold food. Feed him these simple homemade meals for a couple of days and monitor his potty breaks. If he is experiencing gastrointestinal issues no matter what you’re feeding him, then chances are good he needs to see a veterinarian ASAP. A french bulldog typically has a hardy stomach that can handle just about anything. Frequent diarrhea, urination, and defecation is an indicator of something more concerning. Keep me in the loop and let me know how he does on the cooked meals.
We have had him at the vet repeatedly….They have done numerous tests and everything comes back completely fine. They have tested 5-6 different poop samples and have even sent them out to more advanced labs and there is nothing there. His normal blood work also comes back normal. We did a special blood test to test whether or not his pancreas was producing enough digestive enzymes and again the test cam back completely normal. That test did show his B12 was in the normal range, but the in the “low normal” range, so we have been doing the additional b12 shots for him. He will have his 6th shot in the series tomorrow. On the limited ingredient turkey/potato food he is on now he poops 2-3 times a day. He is not having diarrhea, but his stools are on the loose side, they are formed, just not hard like a typical dog. He has had no problem gaining or maintaining weight. He is also acts exactly as you would expect a puppy to act. He does not tolerate human food at all…..my husband had given him a small piece of bacon and he threw it up. We are kind of at a loss as to what to do next…..he is doing so much better on this food, but still is slightly off….
Sounds like you’re definitely on top of it. I was almost certain that you were going to tell me that he was producing excess pancreatic enzymes, but it appears you’ve already investigated that possibility. That’s certainly a head scratcher, but I’m positive that if you give it a little time, he will improve. We had a similar experience with our female frenchie but she eventually started going more regularly and her stools became much more…solid.
With regard to human food, I would avoid greasy or fatty foods (especially bacon). That will upset any small dog under the right circumstances. The limited ingredient foods are generally pretty spectacular (we’ve had to use them before), so that’s the right track to be on. I would still try giving him a meal or two of some cooked sweet potatoes and raw beef or venison. It may sound crazy, but even a small meal of prepared foods can tell you whether the issue is truly in his gut or if it’s elsewhere that you should be looking.
Altogether, if the vet says he’s healthy; then don’t fret too much. Just be patient with him and make sure he gets to go out for his poops. I suspect, as with anything, he’ll normalize over time.
Wanted to give you an update. Rico is doing the best he has ever done. His protein levels (both the total protein and albumin) are up in the mid-range of normal, as opposed to being at the lower end of normal. We started feeding him Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Sweet Potato/Fish formula at the recommendation of another Frenchie owner and he is doing great. Still not perfect, but about 95% of the way there!
That’s amazing news! We love a good success story. The Natural Balance brand can really shine sometimes. We’ve had countless people profess of its therapeutic qualities for their French Bulldogs.
We’re stoked to hear that things are looking up. Keep us in the loop and let us know how it’s going from time-to-time!
What do you think about Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken recipe for my Frenchie. He’s 8 weeks old?
Not a bad food, at all. It’s also affordable compared to other foods that we recommend on occasion. We used to feed the original Blue Buffalo formula from a few years ago, but have since been feeding Fromm game bird recipe. Either way, if you’re worried that Blue Buffalo is a bad choice, it isn’t. It has plenty of nutrients and our frenchies didn’t shy away from it.
At 8 weeks, however, you want to be certain you’re feeding a puppy formula/blend. Fromm has a nice one, as does Taste of the Wild. The puppy formulas have a different blend of nutrients in larger doses than typical adult dog food. These blends are essential for growing puppies and we recommend feeding puppy food for a minimum of 8 months to a year. Let us know how it goes!
Wow what a great website. Thank you fpr all the wonderful information.
You seem to be a true Frenchie expert so I have a question for my 2 and half year old girl YaYa. I feed her Ultra dry and wet food. I mix a third of a can with her dry food and smash the wet chunks and mix around. I also squirt two to three pumps of salmon oil on her food once a day. She loves her main diet. After I feed her she will run and jump up on my chair and climb up my chest to lick me all over my face right after eating, she is always so happy. I also get a plain rotisserie chicken once a week and give her at least half of it over two days. Her treats are Pet Botanics training reward pellets and also greenies. I dont give her too many treats though. Every now and then I get some sweet potato baked chips for her as well. I spend alot of money feeding her. I will GLADLY spend more if it is better for her. She is in perfect health. Perfect coat and teeth. She is a Spoiled rotten little dog and is as happy as I have ever seen a dog and all the time. Playful and rambuncous. I dont really want to change her diet because she has zero problems. Her vet is the best and says she is perfect and her diet is great. I just want to feed her the best and if there is something more tasty or more nutritious, I will do it. I just dont want to make a wrong turn either. Any suggestions?
Also she has Nylabones, knotted ropes, tennis balls, racquetballs for toys. The only things she tears is the Nylabones over time. Are the Nylabones bad at all for her. Not sure if she is digesting tiny, tiny pieces or not. I dont think I have asked her vet about that though. I had heard they were not bad at all for them though. I apologize for the questions that may seem unneccessary but I want the best for my baby. She means everything to me. If you recommend anything different or more, I would so appreciate a quick comment with any time you can spare. YaYa thanks you as do I!
Hey Tye,
We’re always so glad to see frenchie parents really going the extra mile for their babies. It sounds like her diet is perfect and we have no recommendations to make. The salmon oil is a great addition and we also use rich oils on our frenchie’s meals. We’re currently using this stuff from a local producer: http://animedproducts.com/productview.php?id=110 It’s pretty good stuff and they don’t seem to mind the taste.
Nylabones are great. French bulldogs are expert chewers and they can actually teethe for many months beyond other puppies. We certainly have given our babies many Nylabones and haven’t had any problems at all. The important thing is that she’s getting something to chew on to keep her teeth and gums healthy and strong. If I were you, I wouldn’t change a thing. It sounds like you’re doing your best and I’m sure YaYa is spoiled rotten, so we know she isn’t complaining! Keep up the good work and do keep us up to speed on YaYa!
Sorry I have just now responded. Thank you so much for your reply and taking the time to respond. That is very kind of you. Yes YaYa has two Nylabones at any given time. She loves them. She has plenty of tennis balls and raquetballs which are more for her to kick around rather than to chew. She has a rope with a knot on each end as well. She will bounce back and forth between the Nylabones and the rope. She is a happy dog all the time. I will order some of what you recommended. Thank you so much. I have bookmarked this site and will visit regualrly! Great job on it! I work in digital marketing andI must say it is a great site! Keep up the good work and thank you again for the response!
No problem, Tye. Thanks for reading!
I’ve a 7 month frenchie, The breeder recommend the taste of the wild when she was 10 weeks old and she was react to it, ( diarrhea) . We took her to the vet & put her on prescription diet for a while ( Hill’s i/d ) for digestive problem. The vet said she can’t have beef, chicken and lamb. Now she on natural recipe (salmon & sweet potato) in the morning and Grandma Lucy at night. I don’t think height both of these working on her, she doesn’t seem gaining weight and sometimes she vomits the next morning.
Do you recommend the Fromm dry puppy food for a 4 month old frenchie or is it ok to feed him the regular adult dog food that you recommend above? He smells and is itchy in places. I put him on a food that only has 4 ingredients, turkey, chick peas and veggies. but it is adult food. His body odor is very bad. When I bathe him, he smells just as bad. I took him to a regular vet and he checked out his ears, anal glands, etc… and he checked out fine. I wonder if I should take him to a holistic vet to get a second opinion.
I have a 6 month old frenchie and he’s been on blue buffalo grain free puppy food but as he grows into in adult dog we are not sure what kind of food to give him we were told blue buffalo grain free fish and potatoe is ok but not sure if that’s the best food to give him need advice on this please!
Hey Irma,
Thanks for reading and getting in touch. Honestly, grain-free Blue Buffalo isn’t a bad choice. If your Frenchie likes it and doesn’t appear to be experiencing any issues with it, then there’s no reason to change, unless you just want to experiment with some other foods. We really like Fromm grain-free foods, especially the Game Bird recipe and their new Hasen Duckenpfeffer blend, which is a rabbit and duck formula. Other readers have had said their frenchies like Taste of the Wild (we have tried this and it’s a good choice, as well) and Natural Balance Limited Ingredient blends. Feel free to come to us with any questions you have and we’ll do our best to help out.
Hello,
I have a 9 month and 6 month old males, both have been treated for Giardia. My 9 month 3 times 6 month once. They are currently on Rx Royal Canine GI food. Both have soft stool, my 6 month old had hard formed stool when I got him and was eating 4health grain free from Tractor Supply Co that breeder was feeding. My 9 month old has always had soft stool and/or diarrhea due to parasite. I am looking for any advice from probiotic and prebiotic to raw diet vs. kibble. I really don’t want them to be on Rx food forever. Currently all is good, no vomiting or diarrhea. I am at my wits end. Please help.
Hey Theresa,
So sorry to hear about your troubles. The Ole Beaver-Fever (Giardia) is basically rampant all over the world. It’s sad, really. Have you had the water tested in your home? Home Depot and Lowes offer these free little kits that you can use to get a sample of your water and mail it to a lab. I’m not sure if similar stores abroad offer the same service. Be careful about their water intake. You might try switching them to bottled water for a while. Pickup a few gallon jugs of filtered spring water from your grocer and see if notice any improvements in their stool.
You’re doing the correct thing by paying attention to their poops. I would get a sample of each of their poos and take them to a different veterinarian and let them do an analysis of the stool samples to see if they can detect any parasites that your current veterinarian missed. I always advocate a second look/opinion.
As for probiotics and feeding your babies raw foods: it’s totally doable but it can be pricey and labor-intensive. French bulldogs less than a year old should still be eating 3 times a day, so you’ll find yourself scrambling to feed them frequently enough. Further, you have to be incredibly diligent about bio-diversity in the foods you feed them and you have to really keep an eye on their nutrient intake.
I’m going to quote myself from a reply to another reader who asked about feeding raw foods/human foods to her french bulldog, hopefully this will help:
————————————————————————
“Real food”, “table food”, or “people food” is a great option, but with some caveats. French bulldogs don’t need an extremely diverse diet, but they have stringent nutrient requirements like any living creature. Further, most “real foods” won’t provide the teeth-cleansing and digestive benefits of “hard kibble”. We feed our french bulldogs “real food” around 1-2 times per week. Feeding your french bulldog based on the guide in my other post, you’ll be feeding your frenchie 2-3 a day, or 14-21 times per week, based on total meal size and your available time. We opt to make 1-2 of those 14-21 meals a “real food” meal. You’ll find people often use the acronym B.A.R.F. (lol), or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, when talking about feeding canines raw foods or human foods. Domestication has certainly altered the biology of canines over the past 10000 years, but nonetheless, they’re still animals with animalistic urgres. We highly recommend rice, sweet potatoes, and a protein of some variety. We also occasionally feed our french bulldogs a couple of spoonfuls of raw ground beef and cottage cheese as a treat to help satisfy their carnal cravings.
Here are some possible combinations of “real food” that your french bulldog will love:
1. Cooked sweet potato, boiled chicken, and rice
2. Lightly-seared and browned ground beef, rice, and a couple of apple slices
3. Unflavored greek yogurt (good source of protein) and some canned pumpkin puree
Here are some foods to get you started. We recommend providing hard kibble and one to two of these kinds of meals weekly so your french bulldog has something to look forward to!
Vegetables: Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Okra, Green Beans, Peas, Pumpkin, Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley, Celery, Sweet Potatoes
Meats and Organs: Duck, Lamb, Beef, Rabbit, Venison, Wild game birds such as Pheasant or Partridge, Chicken – chicken necks, thighs, wings and even feet are great choices (chickens have softer bones, but you should still be careful about bones), Whole fish like Trout, Salmon, Haddock (you can even freeze raw fish meat and feed it as a treat), Offal such as liver, kidneys and so on are excellent but incredibly rich so use these very infrequently.
Fruits: Apples, Bananas, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, A variety of Melons
Dairy (use sparingly): Cottage Cheese, Plain Yogurt, Raw Eggs
If you find that your french bulldog displays signs of better healthy and vitality and overall energy and mood when she’s given “real food”, try incorporating hard kibble into her raw foods and feed her combination raw food/hard kibble meals full-time. There’s no harm in it and some people claim it can make all the difference in the health and longevity of a french bulldog or other molosser breeds. I personally have not experimented feeding “real food” full-time, as it can get a little pricey if you do it with conviction.
Hi! Preparing for a little Frenchie rescue here in Hawaii. Am concerned with several foods suggested raw–as sources such as vets, local agriculture department, books say no no! Yes, we have certain caveats for Hawaiian pets. Raw eggs? I have for years heard not good. Cooked yes, Also totally raw beef–e-coli warnings everywhere. Finally, fish has some newer warnings for humans, such as in re raw suchi. If simmered w/ little water that broth makes kibble tasty. Thanks for listening, Alison
Hey Alison, thanks for your insight. We haven’t had any problems. In fact, our french bulldogs have shown marked improvements in health and overall vitality. Our veterinarian also approved our meal plans, but I haven’t posted those yet. Our eggs come from my mother-in-law’s backyard. Those chickens probably live and eat better than I do. My wife and I are both vegans, so we don’t eat meat, but we do provide it to our french bulldogs (canine lupis familiaris are indeed omnivores).
I’ll report back when I have some more time to observe our french bulldogs on this diet.
Hello, I am looking for some help and advice from some Frenchie fanciers and experts. We recently “rescued” a 6 month old French Bulldog. He was given to us (free of charge) from a breeder who knows a friend of a friend (red flag, we should have known). I consider myself a dog-savvy individual, but I am new to the Frenchie breed and was hoping someone could offer some input or advice to help us heal our new pup.
Since the day we brought him home, he has had loose stool. We have had him for almost 2 weeks now. We immediately took him to our vet and found him to be loaded with hookworms and coccidia (nasty, horrible stuff). He was wormed (Drontal Plus) and given meds for the coccidia. He did not improve, his stool remained loose and bloody. He lost his desire to eat/drink and we had to give him sub-q fluids and we were told to put him on a chicken and rice diet. He was given to us eating Blue Buffalo Puppy. Our vet also gave him an antibiotic/anti-inflammatory along with Forti-Flora probiotics. His appetite returned for a day or so, but his stool never really improved.
He was then taken to the emergency vet over the weekend as he began to go downhill again (lethargic with no interest in food or water and a VERY noisy stomach). He was tested for Parvo (negative, thank goodness) and a fecal float showed a diminished amount of worms (he’ll likely get another round of Drontal Plus tomorrow at his check-up). He was given 2 new meds, one to coat his stomach/intestines and one to help slow the digestion of the food. We were also told that the chicken might be giving him troubles and were told to give him grass-fed, grain-free lamb mixed with rice.
We have been feeding that, along with all of the meds since Sunday and I am not encouraged at this point. He is going less often, but it is still watery and traces of blood remain. As a growing pup, I feel he needs more than just meat and rice, but any introduction of hard food (we also tried Wellness Core Puppy) sent him downhill again.
For the most part, he is active/lively, but I know he is not well and I just don’t know what to feed him that will firm up his stool, give him the nutrients a growing boy needs, and not upset his stomach. I also understand that he has gone through tremendous stress and numerous changes in a very short amount of time which could easily contribute to some of these issues. I guess I would just like to transition him to something now that he can eat for the foreseeable future so we don’t have to keep switching things up on him.
At this point, we are invested in him. Returning him to the breeder is not an option. Our “free” puppy is quite an expensive addition to our home, but that’s the gamble we took when we agreed to take on the free Frenchie. Now, we just want to do what we can to get him to his full Frenchie potential.
Thanks in advance for any advice, support, and help.
The most important thing you can do is persist! Trust me, it does eventually work out.
TRUE STORY: Our second french bulldog came from the breeder (a highly-respected breeder in my state) with coccidia and hookworm. The problem is that newborn puppies, with their fledgling immune systems, will undoubtedly transfer it to each other while they’re being whelped by their mother. It just happens, even in the best of circumstances.
Stick with the antibiotics and other medications for their full course. We once had to administer daily medications for 60 days straight to one of our french bulldogs that has since passed away from old age. They will pull through so long as you monitor their health and practice good judgment. Stick with the lamb and rice and try adding a small amount of high-quality wet food to encourage eating; just enough to get him interested. On your next trip or two to the vet, be sure to take a stool sample so they can monitor it. It may be helpful to take a urine sample as well. We use an old laundry detergent scoop taped to the end of a bent coat hanger to get in there and collect the urine as they go. Just take your stool samples in a double-layered zip-top baggy. The vet won’t mind. Avoid high-fat foods for the time being and just hang in there. You’ve already done your part by taking the little guy in, so just stick with him.
It took our french bulldog something like 4 weeks to recover from the coccidia and hookworm. It’s nasty stuff and it takes a lot of antibiotics to extricate. We had to make around 4 trips to the veterinarian all told, but it was worth every bit of effort because that french bulldog ended up living for 13 years and being a very good companion. I know you’re really feeling stress over your decision, but I promise you, you made the right call. If you want, feel free to email us anytime at web [at] allaboutfrenchies.com and ask us more questions or just to chat. I will offer the best advice I can. I’ll also gladly get my vet’s opinion if your problem persists. Keep me in the loop and let me know how it turns out after your next visit to the vet.
Jordan,
Thank you so, so much for the informative and encouraging reply. We are starting to see improvements, limited as they are. We had some additional tests done (blood work and diarrhea panel) and are awaiting the results to make sure we are not missing anything. I will keep you posted.
I can say with conviction that I am feeling better about our decision to take on this little guy. He definitely needed us and he is so charming and endearing that we are happy to help him. Thanks again!
Hey again, Kelly! We’re so happy to hear back from you.
Let me invoke one of my favorite authors in order to illustrate the sanctity of man-canine relationships:
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” – Mark Twain
We know all too well how much it sucks watching your pet suffer, and even worse, it can often be frustrating that all of your efforts seem to have little to no effect on your dog’s condition. It’s a frustrating endeavor no matter how you look at it.
Just keep your head up and be positive, for your own sake, but also for your frenchie’s sake. Patience, or rather, time (and money) heals all ailments. Keep us up to speed on how those new panels come back. I’m curious to see what’s in your frenchie’s poo panel; that is typically the most telling.
Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it’s going! We look forward to hearing from you again!
Hi again,
I am pleased to report that our boy is doing MUCH better! The “poo panel” came back negative for everything so we are thrilled with that. The bloodwork came back showing elevated liver enzymes so we decided to do a bile acid test to check for a liver shunt. That was a scary day waiting for those results, but they came back within normal range so I am relieved to have ruled that out!
We started him on a new antibiotic for tummy troubles and began to transition him off the lamb/rice and onto Taste of the Wild Puppy – Pacific Stream. What a world of difference we are seeing now. He has more energy, is gaining weight, and has almost normal (not diarrhea) poo.
I feel like we are finally getting to enjoy the puppy instead of just dragging him back and forth from the vet’s office and constantly worrying about him.
Anyway, had to pass on the good news and thank you again for the positivity. Oh, and you guys have an amazingly informational website! Thanks for the education as well!
Kelly, I am so happy to hear that you’re making progress. I believe, firmly, in due time, if you maintain your diligence, that this will all pay off for you and your puppy. I hope you will keep me updated and allow me to continue offering you whatever I can on your journey. Please send us some photos to web [at] allaboutfrenchies.com!
Wondering if Brothers Complete dog food would be good for Kelly’s pup?They have very good info.on their site about a condition called leaky gut that might help.
My Frenchie loves Ziwipeak kibble with Fromm’s wet food and has no issues.
I had not heard of this brand until now. I’m going to try it out!
Hi there! I’ve been researching the Frenchi le for some time and recently came across your site and I couldn’t be happier that I found you! Our Louie comes home to us Friday and I can’t seem to read up enough about how we can keep him healthy and happy. This is our first French bulldog. The breeder currently has him on Diamond Naturals. She says he’s done well on this and I have a local store that sells this brand. Do you have any knowledge or experience with this particular food for the French bulldog? In addition I’m noticing most frenchies aren’t wearing collars and when they do have them on they do not have a name tag on the collar. Is there a reason for this?
Hey Lindsay,
French bulldogs (and other brachycephalic breeds) don’t do well in collars because their airway can be restricted by a collar, which can cause breathing problems. It’s best to avoid using a collars and leash on a french bulldog and stick to a good harness. Check out my Ruffwear FrontRange harness post for more information on the harnesses I like and use. Best!
Hi
Our 4 1/2 month Frenchie has bloody soft stools and a mucus gag in the am. He had Giardia but vet says he is free of worms now. He is on grandma mae’s grain free country naturals chicken.
Knowing he may be allergic, coming from a chicken based food… where would you go from here if I transitioned to Fromm. Duck? Beef? Surf and turf? Do they even make a lamb?
Thanks.
Hey Glenn,
Thanks for reading and sorry about your french bulldog’s poo problems. Giardia is basically guaranteed to get swapped around between puppies and their littermates. It’s a bummer. Our youngest french bulldog had a bad case of giardia and it took tons of steroids to get the worms out. If his stools are still soft 2-3 weeks after finishing treatment, and if there’s still blood present in the stools, then the worms are persisting, somehow. I would seek a second opinion unless you’re 100% certain your vet is making the right call.
I am a huge fan of Fromm and my french bulldogs love their grain-free varieties. We usually go with the Game Bird recipe, but it’s getting harder and harder to find on Amazon. We have a local shop that carries it. They do have a lamb variety available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2m1ClzJ
I have only fed this variety to my frenchies once, but they’re not picky eaters, so…your mileage may vary. They seemed to like it, either way.
If the soft poos and other issues persist, try preparing some “whole food” meals of boiled or baked sweet potato, plain old boiled rice, and a protein of some variety. Anything from venison to beef is fine, but naturally, avoid chicken if you think there’s an allergy issue. You can even provide a little spoonful of cottage cheese, too. This basic 4-ingredient “real food” meal makes my french bulldogs act like drunk horses in heat.
Our breeder recommended Orijen. Any opinion on that brand? Our Frenchie is 4 months & has been on Orijens puppy formula from the beginning.
Hey Gram, sorry for the late reply. Yes, another reader also asked about Orijen food. I cannot honestly say that I have tried it out but the other person who was asking about Orijen said that their frenchie loved it. From the looks of their ingredients, it looks like really high-quality stuff, so I would stick to it until you feel like your french bulldog is ready for a change in their daily food.
Hi,
can’t recommend Eden’s food highly enough.
My Frenchie Poppy has now had since she was 12 weeks old and is growing beautifully, she is nicely slim, full of energy and has a lovely shiny coat. She has a 50/50 mix of the Country cuisine and the Duck & tripe moist food, she self regulates as she is an only canine child, I have 2 larger fur free children too 😉
http://www.edenpetfoods.com/
Not sure if its available in US, they have European distributors and can be mail ordered which is how I buy. You can feed with total confidence that its good, natural and free of any nasty bulkers or cheap ingredients.
Wondering if Brothers Complete dog food would be good for Kelly’s pup?They have very good info.on their site about a condition called leaky gut that might help.
HI JUST CHECKING TO SEE IF ORIJEN 6 FISH IS A GOOD FOOD FOR AN ICHY FREENCHIE,
Hey Edith, thanks for reading. Other readers have told me that they have had good luck feeding Orijen brand foods. I see no reason not to try it. Best!
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for sharing your frenchie experiences! I will be picking up my new frenchie puppy this weekend so your website has been very helpful. After having a wonderful frenchie for almost 11 years that I lost last year to cancer, I am very excited (and slightly terrified) to have a new puppy in my life.
I previously fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness after my frenchie developed a grain allergy at around age 4 or 5. He did great on it, but this time, after a lot of research (dogfoodadvisor.com was a fantastic resource), I decided to feed Wellness Core Puppy so I am glad to see it on your list! I did consider Fromm and only ended up not going with their food because I felt they were lacking in options for puppy formula. It sounds like you have tried many different foods, so my question is do you have any experience with or an opinion on a rotational diet? From what I have read, it sounds like no food is perfect so it is good to rotate brands and proteins,with a proper transition, periodically.
Right now, my plan is to transition my puppy from the Royal Canin the breeder feeds to Wellness Core Puppy after he settles in. I think I would like to keep him on the same puppy food until he is around a year old. Assuming no issues or allergies develop, I am thinking about transitioning to Fromm with Stella and Chewy Meal Mixers as a topper and then rotating between foods every six months or so. Conventional wisdom has taught me that switching foods is hard on dogs, but if transitioned properly, it seems like there might be some advantage to receiving a variety of nutrients and proteins found in different foods.
Any experience with this or do you have an opinion on how often to switch to a new food if it is a good idea to rotate?
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Hey Beth,
Rotating foods is actually a great idea and I wish I was able to do it more often, but my french bulldogs are kind of picky and won’t necessarily eat just any kibble. We go back and forth between most of the brands in this list paired with the occasional diet of wet foods and human foods, like rice, sweet potatoes, chicken breast, and ground chuck.
We also provide a couple of canine supplements from this company: http://www.animedproducts.com (disclaimer: we are web and graphical consultants for this company). They’re not totally necessary, but we provide certain supplements as a preventative for common issues in the breed.
I would try rotating or “blending” various varieties of foods to sort of “trick” your french bulldog into eating two different varieties at once. We’ve done that before and with a lot of success. Our french bulldogs love variety but with a defined number of foods that we have gradually learned that they will eat without protest.
Keep us up to speed on your experiment. I’d be interested in seeing your results and progress.
Thanks again for reading!!!
Hi: I will be adopting an 8 week old frenchie in a few weeks. Can someone recommend a food for puppies? at what age do I switch them to adult food? The breeder recommended nutri source or royal canin. Is there special puppy versions I should go for even if I dont go with the brands the breeder suggested? I was thinking the stella and chewies or fromms? Thoughts???
We don’t recommend Royal Canin. We recommend you feed your puppy a grain-free, natural raw food like Nature’s Variety or Northwest Naturals. If you want to provide a kibble, we still recommend Fromm grain-free varieties, but you may have to look online to find their puppy blends. We haven’t been able to find them in local shops.
Love the site and your totally devoted commitment to our little guys and their health and happiness! And to us also!
Hey Alison, thanks for reading! We’re humbled and honored to have you here. We want to attract people who love french bulldogs as much as we do! Thanks again.
Hi, I’m about to make the switch to Honest Kitchen from Fromm Puppy Heartland. I too saw the documentary (which is free on Netflix) and decided to move to better food.
Can I ask what serving portion you are giving your dogs? My little one is 10 months and 24 lbs. I did email the company regarding the suggested portion and was given a vague estimate. I suppose I could experiment but it would help me out if I could have a reference portion. Thanks!
So good to see others making the switch! Honestly, that documentary scared the beejeezus outta me.
I’ve just been eyeballing it. All of my french bulldogs want to overeat, so I’ve just been experimenting over the last couple of months. I suspect my 30lb male french bulldog is getting about 600 calories per day. Here’s a raw food calculator by weight: http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm . Here’s another one with even more information: http://perfectlyrawsome.com/pmr-barf-dog-cat-raw-feeding-calculators/
I haven’t been able to find a good source for ground bones yet, but I’m getting close. I’ve been talking to a local butcher and they’ve agreed to let me take some to grind on my own. I suspect that will be all kinds of gross and not fun, but oh well! Anything for my babies!
What a great comment thread! I have a 13 week old French bull dog who seems a little on the skinny side. I’ve been reading and researching and honestly just getting more confused on what to feed my little fur baby. Coming across this thread has really clarified things for me. What better place to get advice on a Frenchie than from other owners! Thank you for such an excellent website and resource! My Frenchie had a parasite when I got him at 7 weeks and was on antibiotics. The vet told me to stop the raw food he had been on (which made sense to me then). He has been on Royal Canin puppy digestive kibble mixed with Fromm Hasen Duckenpfeffer. He gobbles through the recommended amount, so I’ve upped the amount. He is doing well in every way except that he is on the skinny side. I’m going to get some of the recommended natures variety raw to add in and I’m going to look at doing some home made meals 1-2 meals per week as you mentioned. Thanks!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for your kind words and for being here with us. Feel free to jump in and join the conversation. We’re humbled to have you here. I’m happy to hear that your puppy is doing well. The Fromm grain-free varieties are great. Our frenchies love it. We’re still feeding 90% raw, though. Feel free to pose any questions and myself or the other readers will likely get back to you ASAP.
Not sure if anyone’s said this yet, but this documentary is available on Netflix if you have it! Heading out to find a better food for my frenchie today
Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention Alyssa. I appreciate it! So happy to hear of others expressing concern over what we feed our four-legged children!
What is your opinion on primal raw patties? My girls love pork, duck and the lamb. Also feeding Acana single protein.
I’ve not tried those, but I have tried other Primal Raw foods. Our dogs loved it, but they’re not picky.
My boy, Walter, is not quite two, and last year we almost lost him from a raw diet. Because he is always chewing on sticks, rocks, the cat, you name it, at some point he must have had a cut in his mouth. Bacteria from the raw meat entered his system and brought him just shy of septic. I understand that raw is how dogs eat in the wild, but no one hopes wild dogs will live for fifteen or sixteen years. Of course, we all have to make what we believe is the best choice for our Frenchies. I just wanted to share this cautionary tale.
Sepsis is a real problem, especially with bones that are brittle. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Carrie. We appreciate that.
I will add this as a cautionary statement the next time I edit this post. Thanks again.
Hi- wow this is such a great site! Thank you!
Ok- I have a Frenchie, yay! HE was on Taste of the Wild high prairie puppy from the breeder. We had no issues. After his last vaccine, and a shipment of food from chewy.com, he all of sudden started having diarrhea. Now, after his last vaccine, I also started taking him out to new places, parks, peoples houses, etc. There were no recalls on the food, and the vet said the vaccine batch was fine. She suggested white rice and chicken for a few days, along with an antibiotic. They collected a poop sample and ran it for giardiasis and parasites. Those both came back negative/normal. Did the chicken/rice thing for a few days, finished the antibiotic, very little stools and still not great consistency, and was told that I cold start mixing his taste of the wild back in. Then he had diarrhea again. And it was weird, the stools were soft but formed during the day, but at night, he was up every two hours with diarrhea. As was I. 🙁
She suggested chicken and rice again, and has me trying a different antibiotic. I should tell you, I’m not a fan of antibiotics. Not for me, or my son, and certainly, not super comfortable that my little pup has now been on two. But I’m willing to try what they think will work. After reading your site, I’m not sure chicken and rice is the best thing. ? It feels like he needs the fiber. And that maybe chicken could be the culprit. I called my local pet shop and the carry the honest kitchen and Fromms. Should I try one of those? The vet actually mentioned Hulls as our next step- and after googling around I am not interested in that brand at all.
My puppy has a great appetite. After he eats he looks at me like I haven’t fed him. He gobbles food down. He is very active, loves to play and has a happy attitude. So, I don’t think he’s in any pain. I hesitate to continue spending hundreds of dollars on tests at the vet that don’t show anything. And feel like just getting him on the right food is the best place to start.
Help! THANKS
Oops – meant Hills.
My husband and I really enjoy your blog/videos Jordan so thanks for the great work! It’s awesome to read all about Frenchies and connect with others who share the same passion. Our little Frank (1y/o) will eat anything I think but we’ve been intentional about giving him good quality food. He was eating Merrick but we switched to Fromm. To keep him from gaining too much weight (he’s 27lbs) we add no-salt green beans or canned pumpkin puree to his kibble per our Vet’s suggestion so he had more to eat but wasn’t consuming too many calories. We have also been alternating topping his kibble with freeze-dried raw like Stella & Chewy’s and Sojos. We have started to switch to Acana though (it is made in Kentucky) and he has really enjoyed that as well, but like I said he is not a picky eater and (thankfully so far) does not seem to have a sensitive stomach.
Hey again Alyssa,
So cool that you’re feeding Acana, too! Our babies love it, but it’s occasionally in short supply. We often feed a 4:1 ratio of raw foods to kibble of some variety, like Fromm or Merrick. We’ve also being using the Sojos freeze-dried stuff lately, too, and it makes an amazing addition to raw meats. For raw freeze dried products, we’ve mostly fed Northwest Naturals but it’s essentially non-existent locally, so we’re limited to ordering directly from them. Our frenchies go nuts for it. So good to hear of others taking their french bulldog’s diets into consideration. It really is night and day as far as their general health and demeanor goes, not to mention, we think it’s fun to cook for our frenchies!
Hey Jordan,
I am a new parent of a 14 week old Male Cream Frenchie, what are your thoughts on Acana Puppy? and how many times a week can I feed him a boiled egg? I’m still trying to get a feel on how many cups a day I should feed him. Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks!
Hey Greg, Acana is high-quality stuff and lots of other readers are feeding their products. Their foods are grain-free and high-glycemic vegetable carbohydrate free and include lots of vegetables to proper flesh protein ratios. Feel free to feed your frenchie some spinach, a boiled egg, sweet potato, raw meaty bones, and other canine-appropriate raw foods daily. An egg a day will give your french bulldog a boost of protein and omegas, which should improve their energy and coat. Congrats on your new best friend!
Hey there! Just discovered this site and there are so many people on here! Awesome! I’ve been feeding my Frenchie raw since he was 6 weeks old. I am feeding him OC Raw now and he is fine with it. My only thing is that I think he’s a tad underweight. He’s a year and a half now and he weighs about 22 lbs. Trying to put on more weight is hard; the raw food experts say that if their poo isn’t solid, you’re feeding them too much. Any advice? Also, I’m super particular about the freeze dried options. Even with reputable companies like S&C, why so many ingredients that I don’t know how to pronounce?!? Looking into Small Batch freeze dried or continuing with OC Raw freeze dried for when I travel, simply because I can pronounce everything in it. Any advice/ thoughts are welcome! Thanks!!
Hey Magda, so happy to have you here. I’m honored to hear from you. Have you tried cooking some meals for your french bulldog? Lately, we’ve been combining raw meats from a local butcher, venison from my father-in-law’s freezer, and Sojos-brand freeze-dried pre-mix (http://amzn.to/2tkFXQC). The Sojos stuff is dead-simple. You just rehydrate it with water overnight, and the next morning you’ll see a bunch of ingredients you can identify visually. It’s almost magic. We use that in tandem with raw meats and these nuggets from Primal (http://amzn.to/2tkFXQC). Our dogs go ham for it.
As for cooking some meals, we like to use sweet potato, summer squash, spinach, eggs, a little rice, and toss in some raw meaty bones. We’ve also experimented with making our own bone meal (a gross endeavor for two vegetarians) to help supplement their diets, as well. We’ve had lots of luck maintaining and adding weight, especially during our female’s pregnancy and nursing periods, by cooking nutrient dense doggy-safe meals for them. You can cook a bunch in advance and freeze them as well. It gets a little tedious, but we’re happy to labor for our babies. Best of luck to you and yours.
Also, I just wanted to point out that Grandma Lucy’s (same thing for The Honest Kitchen and a lot of the other dehydrated brands) isn’t technically a raw diet because they lightly cook the food during the dehydration process.
The premixes can be a little tricky too because they technically aren’t supposed to claim they are AAFCO approved as a balanced diet because you are adding ingredients that actually make it balanced. Then the question becomes – are you adding in enough meat, organs, bones, etc. to meet their dietary needs? Maybe it isn’t something hard to do, but it does seem easy to mess up. Like you said, nothing is perfect, and hopefully the more well informed we all are, the better off our pets will be!
Here’s what I was able to find about Becker: https://www.thedodo.com/five-dog-pages-you-need-to-stop-linking-to-1091066497.html
As well as this one: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2012/04/more-misleading-and-unethical-advertising-for-alternative-veterinary-medicine/
Can you point me to some more information about Becker? I will be reworking this post as I continue studying. Thanks for jumping in.
Holy Cow! I’m so thankful I came across this site. My 3 mo Frenchie Benny, has had loose stools, bloating, and been VERY flatulent since we brought him home. He’s eating Eukanuba small breed, small bites, chicken flavor (since that’s what the breeder had him on). His vet wants us try a different food, along with a probiotic and smaller portions since he’s a little heavy! I’ve also noticed that anytime he consumes fruit (in small amounts) specially peaches or watermelon he has diarrhea.
Just curious, has anyone else had this problem? Since we’re in the market for a new food, would anyone suggest a raw diet, or Fromm?
The Eukanuba is just not working for him and I’m worried he NOW has other intolerances that may have not been present if he weren’t eating that pet store junk!
Howdy, I found ya website by chance and have just spent a hour and half reading and learning a lot about French bulldogs … we currently have a one year old female Frenchie named Biggie Smalls… she is a very loveable addition and companion for Leonard (weimrainer 4 years) and the rest of our pack here in NC.. we also had a lot of trouble from day one with loose stools and vomiting within 45 mins she was home from the breeders… she was last to go and the runt. I guess by lack of better word but we persevered and a lot vet visits antibiotics, ect.. and $$$ .. she very healthy and happy .. now to the point we feed Acana Atlantic blend ( as the Pacfic is no longer available) .. as I read through the comments I noticed there are quite few people also using this brand with good results. I was wondering if u yaself have tryed this brand and the results and opinion u have on it??? My local Vet who I’m beginning to ?? After years of going there constantly tells me she never heard of it ( doesn’t sale it either) and anyone can make great reviews about any dog food online…. we constantly debate this when do have any issue with Biggie as I refuse to change her food… my other dog Lenny was haveing all kinds of stomach issues and skin problems before we got him on Acana by chance after a lot diffrent dog foods not helping or working… he and BIG’s gobble it up and no loose stools or major skin condition ( bigs eArs but after web research like I’m doing now I found a low cost ear solution Zymox Leaded it right up as the bottle said it would) with that being said do u have a preference on a protein source that might would have prevented the ear problem or itchy feet( again this not major problem) I’d be willing to try it??? This was very long winded I apologize…. u know this I’m sure but some may not Orijen and Acana are made in Canada at the same place Cheers. Robbie
My frenchie is 7 years old. I feed him Purina Pro Plan Focus which claims to have salmon as the first ingredient and is made without corn, wheat or soy. I also feed him cooked ground beef and chicken. He doesn’t like dry food anymore unless I mix it with something tasty. I have recently discovered that he likes salad if it has dressing on it and he seems more energetic since eating the salad. The salad is the “spring mix” with baby lettuces, greens, and radicchio. My frenchie, Wilber, seems pretty healthy. Last year he had a lot of skin problems and the vet told us to stick with the dog food and not feed him any chicken. Now, however, I’m trying different foods and he seems fine. I just want to make sure that I’m not feeding him anything that will poison him! I know grapes and nuts are not allowed. He does really like peanut butter and I’m finding that he likes milk on his dog food. Do you see anything I’m doing “wrong”? Thanks!!!
Not at all! You do you and keep up the good work!
We used to feed him Taste of the Wild when we first got him a couple years ago. Is that a good one?
I like their grain-free kibble. We were feeding it for a while, but switched to something else just because. Nowadays, I just prepare their meals, but I know not everyone can do that. So, don’t fret.
So just like the documentary, you are going to sensor any kind of comments that question raw?
Very disappointing.
I’m sure you will delete this too, so no worries.
Beth, I’m not certain what you’re on about, but either way, if you have a problem with dogs eating raw diets, then feel free to say so here.
Wow… m so glad i chanced upon this site while browsing! I want to sincerely thank you for your efforts and dedication.
I have recetly got my fenchie Ouzo & he is 6 weeks old and slighty underweight. I am doing the following currently
Feeding him Royal canin
5 meals per day
Stool: Loose 4-5 times per day
Please suggest what beat i can do to get him healthy. As be is so young i am unsure about the experimentation.
He is very playful and hyperactive.
Hey Santosh, happy to hear from you. Loose stool that frequently means something is wrong. I see in your other comment that you’ve consulted a veterinarian, so take that vet a stool sample and let them test it for parasites and bacterium. Your french bulldog may have worms or coccidia, both of which are common in young puppies. As for feeding and weight gain, keep up what you’re doing. It will take a little time but eventually your frenchie will get back up to their optimal weight. Feel free to increase their food intake a little bit with each meal, but not by a lot.
My frenchie is 5 months old and doesn’t have allergies, stomach nor stool issues. I feed my puppy Purina Pro and use a slow feeding bowl (ie throw a ball in his bowl with his food). Why should I change his diet now?
You’re right, you shouldn’t change his diet right this instant. Dogs should be able to handle switching proteins rather quickly, but it isn’t always a sure bet. A raw diet is, generally, closer to what canis lupis familiaris (dog) would consume in the wild: raw meat, raw vegetables, and (uncooked) bones. If your french bulldog is happy with what you’re feeding him, then don’t fret!
I have a 6 month old frenchie and I am having trouble finding a food he likes. I have tried everything, from Kibble to raw, can you suggest something that you know frenchies will love to eat? I think I have given him too many choices!
We’re currently feeding our puppies Fromm Heartland Gold grain-free puppy formula kibble and they love it! We’ll probably switch to raw when they’re about 9-12 months old. Food is here: http://amzn.to/2w9jZof
Great info!! I had no idea about half of these issues, but I’m quickly learning! With that said, I literally just got my puppy three days ago, she’s 8 weeks old. I am a little worried now because her breeder did provide food that he had been giving her but she has developed soft stool. In the morning she is fine, but by afternoon it is loose. Obviously, I am worried :/ She’s eating Diamond Puppy food it contains DHA which I know she needs and she is still very playful and energetic. I’ve asked a few Frenchie owners and have been told to keep her on the same food a little longer and that she may just be adjusting to her new environment and be a little stressed. Am I over reacting? Eventually, I think I would like to introduce her to Fromm (it sounds amazing), but don’t want to do it unnecessarily. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
I am so thankful I found your site. We have 2 Frenchies (Cream male – Tank (2 yr old) and Black/Tan Female (10 mos). My male had Giardia (my vet caught it when we took him for his first few check ups as a pup so suspect it came from the breeder). We could not get rid of it as he was a poop eater. My vet said he can be a “carrier” of it and if he doesn’t have full on diarrhea or vomiting and still has an appetite to not stress over it. I have also switched vets as the first vet wanted me to get on Royal Canine Rx Diet for IBS. He has a very sensitive stomach and can be very gassy and bloated if he eats something other than his regular dog food. He was on Fromm Puppy which he did ok but not great, still soft stools and ate his poop constantly. I have tried Orijen, Acana, some Kangaroo food the local specialty Pet store recommended, Fromm (again), Goat’s milk, yogurt, pro-biotics, OsoPure, etc. You name it, I have tried to get his stools to be normal. When he was on Orijen, he would eat, drink and then vomit, not all the time but enough to be alarmed. Took him back to a different vet and she instantly said he has food allergies, she could tell from his tear stains and his coat (he was on Orijen at the time). She recommended I switch to Royal Canine Hydrolized Protein food. This definitely helped with his stools but he almost seemed constipated. I also did some research on the Hydrolized protein and I just don’t feel like it is something you should feed regularly. Any thoughts on this type of Rx food? Right now I have him on OsoPure which is a limited ingredient food but both my Frenchies have soft (and a lot of it) stools. I am just at a loss of what to do. I don’t feel comfortable putting him back on the Hydrolized food as it seems like so many chemicals are in it to breakdown the protein. What about a raw diet? I worry about this as he is supposedly a “carrier” of a parasite, would this trigger the parasite?? Any suggestions or ideas would greatly be appreciated. I love these little babies so much and want to provide the best for them!! 🙂 THANK YOU.
Hey Jodie, so sorry to hear about your baby’s troubles. Giardia is stubborn to get rid of, especially when you’re dealing with a poo-muncher. One tip to cut back on your french bulldogs eating their scat (called ‘coprophagia’) is to use this product: http://amzn.to/2voHud5 . That said, the jury is out on whether or not they work. Some people see success, while others do not. To that end, the reason your frenchie is eating poop is because of the worms. Giardia and other parasitic GI infections disrupt your dog’s ability to absorb nutrients from their food. The must important thing to do is to be 110% certain that your frenchies do not have worms of any kind.
If your vet is adamant that your babies are worm-free, then you can move on to treating the poop-eating. Start by adding some canned pumpkin to their food. My french bulldogs go nuts for pumpkin, but your mileage may vary. Pumpkin is great for french bulldogs: it helps their GI tract, gives them great fiber, and is full of minerals. Pumpkin tastes great going in, but it will foul their poos such that they will avoid eating them. If possible, you can also try to pickup their poos with these little baggies (we carry them EVERYWHERE): http://amzn.to/2vGzVd9 and since we have five french bulldogs, we even pickup all the poos in our own yard. It really helps limit the transmission of diseases and bacteria.
If picking up the poos isn’t an option, try adding a 1:1 mixture of lemon juice to water in a spray bottle and at every opportunity, spray their poops with the mixture. Dogs detest citrus or lemon flavors and will avoid their poops if you’re able to get to them fast enough. Do it long enough and eventually they will stop.
As for foods, definitely add some puree’d pumpkin to the poop-eater’s meals. Also try feeding some simple meals 2-3 times per week to gauge changes in their stools, skin, etc. I recommend fresh raw, meaty bones of some variety (definitely not cooked), an egg white (scramble it if you like), some sweet potato or pumpkin puree, chopped spinach, a little boiled rice, and some chicken broth. Mix it all together (it’s gross, fair warning), and let them go to town. I pre-make a bunch and freeze it, so I can thaw it as needed.
I can’t speak to Royal Canine RX, as I’ve yet to try it out. I’ve seen other readers mention that they’re using it, but not under the circumstances you’re experiencing. It is my (sometimes unpopular) opinion that dry kibbles are just too far removed from a canine’s natural diet. Sure, we’ve domesticated them and all that, but dietary evolution is a matter of millennia, not centuries. If the vet okay’s it, I would try feeding your frenchies some raw food meals of vegetables, rice, meats, and so on, as I mentioned above.
Hopefully this helps! Again, so glad to hear from you and I hope you’re able to see some improvement. Best to you and yours!
-J
I’m so glad I found your site! It’s awesome and I’ve learned so much about french bulldogs in the last hour as I’ve read through some of your posts. I have a 4 month old frenchie named Buster and I’m so confused about what to feed him. We got him at 11 weeks and the person we bought him from was feeding him Nutro Max puppy, which is chicken based. The day after we got him home we noticed he had very loose stools with blood at the end. We have never had a dog before and didn’t know what to do, so started reading up and thought maybe it was anxiety from going to a new house/environment/family. Gave it about a week and when it didn’t stop took him to the vet where he was put on an antibiotic. While on the antibiotic the blood seemed to stop, but as soon as the round was done, it came back. Called the vet and he wanted a stool sample to test for worms, parasites, etc. everything came back normal. Then the vet suggested another round of a different antibiotic. This time I didn’t stop seeing blood until he had been on the antibiotic for 13 days, so the vet said that antibiotic wasn’t helping and to stop giving it. I asked the vet about what I should be feeding him and he said to try beef or lamb based food and that kibble was fine. Tried Whole Hearted beef and pea, but he still had blood and loose stools. Thought maybe I was feeding too little (3/4 cup per day) so I increased to 1 cup. Still loose, bloody stools. Thought I was feeding too much, so cut back to 2/3 cup a day. Still loose, bloody stools. The vet had no idea what could be causing it, but thinks maybe it could be a hemorrhoid or something since the blood is bright and it seems to only be at the end of his pooping and that with all the loose stools it gets irritated. So, we are now feeding Acana 1/3 cup three times a day with a spoonful of organic puréed pumpkin on top (hoping that will help solidify the stools). He still has loose stools, but they are getting slightly more solid, and there is still blood. I just don’t know what to do and don’t want to keep switching food (because maybe that’s not helping with the diarrhea) and paying for expensive tests at the vet. The vet also thinks that he will probably just grow out of it, but I don’t know… Buster is happy and playful and growing (he weighs almost 10 pounds, so double since we got him). He doesn’t act sick at all. He doesn’t even act like the issue bothers him. Oh, one other thing… he eats as fast as lightening and I’ve tried lots of things to slow him down.,, even to the point of cutting each piece of kibble in half since he won’t really chew it. I did also try wet food and that made the loose stools even worse. I just don’t even know what to do anymore. Any advice would be appreciated so much! Thank you!
Hey Katie,
Sorry I’m just now seeing this. How has this progressed? Has anything changed since your original post? How is Buster now?
First, I want to be clear that I have learned SO much from this site and truly appreciate all the work that goes into it. Second, though, I need to share my story with raw. Walter is two now, but last year, after reading all the benefits of raw diets, I made the transition. Of course, he loved it and his skin and coat were magnificent. One day, we were wrestling around, and I noticed a grey, bumpy patch (about half inch) along his bottom gum line. These dogs are so tough and stoic that because he wasn’t showing any signs of pain, I didn’t take it too seriously at first. My sister is an aesthetician, and when she saw it the next day, she freaked out and told me it was dead tissue. Gah! I got him to the vet that day and was told that he had a very serious infection. After an extensive interview/interrogation, we came to the conclusion that bacteria from raw chicken got into a cut or sore on his gum. I don’t know if the cut was from a raw bone or one of the many things this goof puts in his mouth every day, but the bacteria was definitely from the chicken. Here’s the scary thing: the vet said Walter was likely hours away from going septic. I was mortified. Sure, dogs eat all the raw stuff in the wild, which means when things like this happen, they likely die. I also know that the raw diet folks are hard core, and nothing will change their minds. I respect that, yet I want people who are considering a raw diet to know all the potential risks. It’s so hard to know the right thing to do. I used to cook all my first dog’s meals, and he lived to a ripe old age with virtually no health issues. After reading these posts, I am going back to doing that. Sunday afternoons will become dog food day. 🙂
What a harrowing tale, Carrie! That is indeed a frightening risk of feeding raw foods. Thank you so much for sharing. To that end, I believe I’m going to update this post to suggest cooking raw meats, at least enough to kill bacteria, before feeding it to Fido. I hope Walter is A-okay!!
I am so relieved and grateful to have found your site. Thank you for sharing all these tips as well as your advice.
My frenchie puppy (Pebbles) is 3 and a half months old. When I received her at 2 and a half months, she was was solely being fed commercial food. I weaned her off it and started a raw food diet. However my vet is completely against the idea, saying it could be dangerous and eventually she will develop health issues such as arthritis. He says the kibble has all the nutrients a puppy needs to develop properly. I am torn on what to do. Especially since I live in Switzerland and I have not come across the commercial food brands you mention. How would you advise me to proceed?
I wanted to provide the very best for my baby 🙂
I really appreciate your help !! Thank you!!
Well I am a proponent of providing a raw food diet, I still feed all of my puppies under 1 year a predominantly kibble diet. I use the high-quality stuff (Fromm Grain-Free Heartland Puppy at the moment) and it does get a little pricey with 3 new french bulldog puppies, but for you and your youngster, you should be fine with whatever is locally available. I don’t agree with your veterinarian about a raw food diet causing arthritis. However, I do suggest you try to source a puppykibble with a high protein content. Depending on where you are in Switzerland, it may be easier to look in France or Germany. When I was living in France, I remember that CarreFour had really high-quality dog foods.
As a Frenchie dad, I have to admit I’ve come to understand, through trial and error, that they are a breed that requires more energy where others might not. Without question though, she’s definitely worth every moment, no matter how much time I spend, I feel as if I win every time.
I have however faced a few of the hurdles that seem to be fairly common and almost to be
expected.
Frenchie’s have their own very specialized requirements, Often requiring my getting very acquainted with more than I ever have with other breeds previously.
Raw food has been a definite go-to without question, I’m always a little surprised by those who suggest they’re not feeding their Frenchie a raw diet. Raw food had almost an immediate reaction of appearing happier and far healthier. The one thing I have learned has made a considerable difference is coconut oil, I give “Bella” approx 1 tsp with each meal and it has become a saving grace. Her skin has changed for the better, she doesn’t appear to be having any of the same concerns overall and she just seems to not only look but act healthier.
Not always but on a regular enough basis before she might “lose her lunch” which I had understood to be a “Frenchie thing”, So to help I was adding a spoonful of raw pumpkin to her food which had been advised was a great addition for all breed of dog to benefit digestion. But without a doubt, the coconut oil has helped her maintain a consistent regiment of keeping her food down, I’ve seen several benefits related to her skin and coat, I give her the oil internally as well as externally, brushing it on and through her skin and coat. As well as using it as a topical treatment for any Frenchie scrapes or adventure injuries. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which also acts as a repellent to fleas and ticks, and with it being all natural any licking or ingesting of the oil is not going to cause any concerns.
There’s nothing worse than seeing the ones we love, feel or look unwell. Bella appears to be more energetic and healthier as a whole, which I think for all Frenchie parents is always a great reaction to see.
Darren, so happy to hear this from you and thrilled that Bella is doing great. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi,
I have a quick question, I have a 14 month old frenchie and I am not sure she is eating enough food. Would you be able to help me out.
I usually make her a meatloaf with 2 ground turkey and 1 grand lamb (and that last 6 days), veggies and 2 eggs. I feel like its not enough food and she is definitely on the leaner side. any advice on how much protein she should be eating?
Hey Jazlyn, have you checked out one of these calculators to get an idea on caloric intake? Some of them can be adjusted to calculate increased intake for weight gain, maintenance intake for holding weight, and reduction. You’ll have to eyeball your calorie estimates but you should be able to get close!
http://www.petnutritionalliance.org/dog.php
https://thebark.com/content/canine-nutrition-basics
Thank you so much for this update. I have been looking into The Honest Kitchen as well for my almost 2 year old girl Sophie. I have done a complete diet elimination and placed her on a yeast free anti-inflammatory diet and have added Acana as well and that has worked but I really have been reviewing The Honest Kitchen and have heard nothing but praise for it with other Frenchie parents. I am going to give this a shot.
That’s great to hear Paula. Check out the recipes below, too. Our frenchies love the Chef Hannah’s feast. It’s pretty simple to make and freeze, too.
Thank you so much for all that you are doing to keep us Frenchie parents informed of different and better ways to care for our babies. I am going to check Chef Hannah’s feast out as well. I made the complete switch to The Honest Kitchen and no more kibble and she loves it. I have found the Sojo’s freeze dried raw treats and she loves them too. I feel that she is doing so much better with her skin and digestion since the switch. only issue I have is her and grass are not friends.
Can I use ground beef and ground pork for the meat?
Yes! Of course, the leaner the better.
Hi Jordan,
I’m looking for more raw recipes for my 6 month old Leeloo!
I have 3 cats that I’ve been cooking for their whole lives ( have the mom since she was a 5 weeks old “reject” and her 2 daughters. They are 4 and 3 years old). I don’t trust the commercial pet foods.
Leeloo is from Hungary , where the breeder feeds her dogs with Eukanuba , cooked chicken feet and backs. Leeloo was extremely gassy when I picked her up ( she was 4 months old). Got a couple pounds of the food there to bring to the US , started mixing it with her current food ( Natural Balance) and in about 2 weeks she was eating Natural balance only, which I mix about a 1/4 cup into the food I cook for her.
I’m a new frenchie mom, reading up on the breed. I found very little help with home cooked/raw dog food recipes, so I improvised: ground turkey, sweet peas, carrots, spinach, kale, green beans, sweet potatoes and brown rice is what I prepare for Leeloo. I cook the meat then “flesh cook ” the veggies with it about 10 minutes and add the cooked brown rice. I give her once a day probiotics and a puppy multi vitamin. My pets only drink bottled water.
She’s eating now only twice a day.
She had Giardia a few weeks after she arrived to the US, also had worms. She got an antibiotic treatment and got dewormed, the vet said as soon as she gets better stop the probiotics. Seemed to be fine , 2 weeks after her treatment she got diarrhea again. Put her on the good ‘ol rice and boiled chicken + pumpkin puree diet and eventually she got solid stools again.
Now she was scooting on the carpet , stool sample to the vet, no issues but she had a yeast infection around her vulva and in her ears.
According to my knowledge grains can be the cause of that, so I took out the brown rice and switched to a no grain Natural Balance dog foor. Now she’s fine. No more yeast issues nor loose stool.
I want to completely take out commercial dog food from her diet, but struggling to find recipes. I would highly appreciate any help/suggestion!
And this might be a silly question, but how often should I deworm her?
I love your web page, learned a lot from you about the care of my baby! Thank you!
Also can I give her cranberries ( raw or dried) in her food?
Do you know that this recipe is not good for any dog not just frenchy. I feed raw. But home cooked is as good as raw for people scared of it or because of any other reasons or experiences. This recipe has far to much vegetables. Read about dogs biology and their digestive system. Dog’s digestive system is far to short to fully digest vegetables and because of that nutritional value of veggies is minimal for them. They need meat. Doesn’t matter if it will be raw or cooked. Mine is getting veggies as snacks because he likes them but I don’t include it in his menu. Canola oil is plant passed as well. Gives them nothing. Coconut as well. Good for their dry noses not for feeding with it!!!
Hello in Poland! Can you send us your recipe at web [at] allaboutfrenchies.com?
This is a very information site. I have an 8 month old frenchie she is developing hives on back of her neck I had her on royal canin when I first got her at 3 months then she started licking her paws and I switch to grain free blue buffalo freedom then her stool became soft i wadnt sure if it was food but heard about grain free also took het to vet and they said allergies after being on it I thought it was her food so switch again to blue buffalo life protection. And now she is having hives not sure what to do ….should I go on fromm kibble grain free would that help her allergies I don’t know what to do can’t keep going back and forth to vet I did give her benedryl to stop the itch
Hey Annie! Thanks so much for reading and for your kind words. Try out a very limited ingredient diet. For a few days, feed your frenchie meals of sweet potato, broccoli, green beans, and some sort of meat like chicken or fish. Pre-cooked and organize the meals into containers to help you with feeding and to cut down on time. If the hives improve after a few days of eating limited-ingredient meals, then you’ll know that it’s a food allergy. I cannot say for certain that Fromm Grain-Free will be a viable solution–we need to know what’s causing the allergy first.
Love your website. We have a 2 year old Frenchie, Matilda. She has been in the hospital twice in her life with aspiration pneumonia. The only thing we found that worked for her regurgitation and room clearing gas was Sojo’s wild caught salmon grain free freeze dried dog food. She has been doing great but the gas is “room clearing” again and we want to switch up her food. I love the various suggestions and know that we will stay with a grain-free, raw diet. Just need to find the right one and I love the idea of mixing it up a little. She also needs to gain a little weight. She is super small for her age. Food is her favorite thing, other than my lap. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Pattie! Thank you for reading, one of my brindle frenchies is named Matilda!!! That’s hilarious!
Have you had a chance to try cooking her some meals? You can make up a big batch of the “Chef Hanna’s Feast” and freeze it in portioned amounts, thawing as needed. That’s what we mostly do these days, as well as throwing in a can of wet food from Taste of the Wild or Merrick when we’re super stretched for time and don’t have anything made. I would hazard a guess that we cook up meals for our frenchies about two or three sundays per month, freezing and vacuum-sealing in portions.
If this is totally out of the question for you, then I would suggest you try some of the Taste of the Wild wet foods. Wet food goes down easier but will result in some pretty rancid gas. This is probably the best way to put some weight on Matilda but you’ll be stuck smelling it. Has your vet made any suggestions?
Hi,
What type of food should I be feeding my French Bulldog puppy. He’s is a male, 13lbs, 4 months old. Unfortunately right now, I don’t have time to cook his food from scratch. Is there a food option you can recommend that I can buy on chewy.com or pickup at the local pet store (I.e. petsmart, Petco, etc. Right now he is on dry Nutrisource puppy formula kibble. But I don’t trust it and would like to get him on to something else. If you can suggest some food options that won’t break the bank that would be great. Also, how much should I be feeding him of suggested food if he eats twice a day? Thank you so much!
Please any info on puppy food for a Frenchie? not sure what is the best for mine. Thanks
Leo, thanks for popping in. Try out Fromm Gold Grain-Free puppy food in the obnoxiously pink bag. It’s an okay kibble. You can also feed your pups the stuff I feed mine in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m6HCpFxdBo
Hi Jordan-
Our 13 week old frenchie, Lua is starting to have issues with the Taste of the Wild we are feeding her so we are planning to give the Honest Kitchen a try. The box(specifically the embark grain free turkey) states that its for all life stages so Im hoping she will get the right amount of nutrients???
Also, you seem to do a great job rotating different kinds of foods for your frenchies…. Do you transition between rotation? Seems like one day you are giving dry kibble, the next raw, some canned… just wondering if that effects their digestion by rotating. We would love to do the same and just curious on how to do it….
Hey Noah, sorry to hear Lua is having issues with ToTW. One of my puppies had stomach problems after eating their PREY formula for a week or so. Before you plop down big bucks for The Honest Kitchen, I would point you to Sojos freeze dried and add your own lean meats. The simpler you can make her diet right now, while still providing plenty of macro-nutrients, the easier it will be for you to identify possible issues, allergens, and so on. You could also grab one of the recipes below and try feeding her some whole meals. The Chef Hannah’s one is pretty good if you replace the freeze-dried mashed potatoes (empty carbs/calories) with some mashed sweet potatoes. The Honest Kitchen is great, don’t get me wrong, but you would want to gradually transition to feeding that–which would mean decreasing her current food little by little over the course of a week or so.
As for how I go about rotating, I usually changed their food every couple of weeks, so about 26 times per year. My system is really kind of loose-ended but I generally just try to make sure all of my frenchies get some kibble or raw uncooked bones for their teeth, some raw very lean meats, fats from either eggs, fish, fish skins, or fish oil pills, and some carbs from veggies (mostly broccoli or sweet potatoes). It can occasionally give someone a soft poo or two, but never anything serious. The real key is very, very consistent feeding times. Morning and night, twice a day (or maybe three small meals throughout the day), always at the same time. The scheduling forces their biological rhythms to stay in synchronicity with their daily activities. It takes a little patience to settle into but it’s good for them and it isn’t too much hassle for me, really.
Hope this helps, Noah!
Hope this helps!
Thanks Jordan- very informative! Too late as I already started her on the honest kitchen and she LOVES it!! She freaks out everytime I start putting it together. We did the transition as you mentioned above and she’s right in scheudule now….We’re feeding her the Embark recipe which is Turkey. Ill make sure to mix in some raw beef and fish oil once in a while but Im hoping she is getting enough if what she needs from the Embark recipe.
Hello all!
Am I able to feed the honest kitchen to my 3 month old puppy? Also, as this food is a little pricey, would it still be beneficial to give my puppy a cup of this a day and the rest dry kibble? Thank you all!
Best,
Alfonso
Hey Alfonso,
Honest Kitchen is fine for a puppy but they have an increased need for proteins and fats and rich sources of fiber. If you feed honest kitchen, also include a couple of ounces of raw, very lean beef along with a little fish oil or even better, some raw fatty fish like salmon or cod.
Hope this helps!
Thank you for your reply. Would the Damon be ok to feed raw? Or is it better to be cooked for puppies?
Hi, I have a frenchie puppy around 11 months now. He has trouble with diarrhea so bad. When he getting a dog food, he will start diarrhea, but when we switch to chicken rice, his poop will become to normal. He was eat the kibble before, and no problem with these kibble. We use to have fromm, Orijen, and taste of the Wild. I am not sure that because the weather was change too much now or something else. Also, we already dropped his poop to vet, and the result of the parasite test is negative. We are trying to switch back to kibble for him, did you recommend that if we give him some yogurt? If so, what brand did you recommend?
Thank you so much!
Hey Fiona, sorry to hear about your french bulldog’s poo problems. =(
You could try cooking his food instead of feeding kibble. There are some recipes near the bottom of this post.
As for the yogurt, just offer him some plain greek yogurt. Flavored greek yogurt is fine but feed it in smaller amounts as it is often high in sugar content.
Thanks for your reply!!! We still trying to let him try the kibble food in the future just in case if we bring him travel with us, it is so hard to cook for him during the travel time. If he is diarrhea right now, do you recommend give him yogurt right now? By the way, since his diarrhea is not from the parasite, what reasons do you think it might cause the diarrhea? Allergy something?
Once again, thank you so much for your time to answering my questions.
Hello Jordan! I have a 4 month old Frenchie and I am currently feeding him Fromm Gold Grain-Free puppy food. I want to make sure I give the best possible food for my puppy. I was looking at the honest kitchen and it seems like the route I want to go. However, it does have a hefty price tag to it. Would it still be beificial if I mix half of the honest kitchen and half of the Fromm puppy food so t can be a little more cost effective? Or would it be a waste of money and just stick to the Fromm puppy food? Thank you for your help and your blog is awesome!
Sorry Jordan, it looks like you answered my question previously.
Hey Alfonso, good to hear from you again. Is everything going okay? How’s the feeding going?
Good morning! I am looking into the honest kitchen food brand for my Frenchie. Is the Force food the go to? Or would it still be benificial to buy a different type of food from the honest kitchen as others are a little cheaper.
Hey Valerie, The Honest Kitchen is a great brand and they have a lot of supporters out there. Honestly, I just rotate out different grain-free / corn-free high-quality kibbles and try to make most of their meals myself. I have a couple of videos floating around on YouTube about it. I feed my frenchies venison, beef, and other big game when it’s available from the local processor. Sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, fish oil, salmon, and on and on. There are a ton of options you can go with that are cheaper than buying The Honest Kitchen every couple of weeks. I’ll try to get started researching/writing a “how to feed your frenchie from the grocery store” post.
Absolutely love your page! Has been a huge help with my new frenchie puppy. The yak chews were the best suggestion! I have a quick question, what are your thoughts on Orijen food? Thank you for any help!
Hey, Jordan:
A couple of questions regarding feeding Frenchies: 1) If feeding a vitamin supplement as suggested in the recipes section, is it OK to give the shed med, too? 2) When you write about giving Frenchies raw bones and organ meats, do they need to be cooked as well?
Thanks.
Looking at changing my 15 week old puppies food to somthibg better, what’s your opinion for this little guy?
I have 2 frenchies, one seems to handle his food better than the other. My one frenchie has loose stools. Chicken is a no go. We have tried Taste of the Wild salmon puppy and Fromm Surf and Turf, still had loose stool. Vet put her on hydrolyzed food, and the stools got looser. I have her now on Halo Garden of Vegan and she seems to be doing better. I was thinking of adding a freeze dried meat topper to this but wanted to know your thoughts on the vegan kibble. She is a high strung, nervous dog so I don’t know if her stools will ever be consistently firm.
Hi Jordan,
Recently came across your blog and it has been super helpful so thank you! I have a 6 month old french bulldog and i want to switch his cooked meals to raw. I have read alot about how it can be ‘unbalanced’ and was wondering what is a good amount of raw meat to feed frenchies per meal And what cuts of certain protein do you recommend? Theres just so many and i havent been able to figure out what is good/suitable for frenchies to eat.
I thank you for your blog. I have benefited from “web educated” “experts” such as yourself greatly. I am a critical care and surgical veterinarian. You see we spend an entire year of our eight years in school on nutrition and we have known all along grain-free is not only the opposite of a correct balanced diet, but is actually dangerous. You see only three companies in the entire world employee hundreds and vet nutritionists (12 years of schooling) to formulate their food. Just because they are the large companies doesn’t make them bad. What you are saying would be similar to a parent telling other parents despite what your pediatrician recommends please feed McDonald’s daily. The end of my story is a happy one because finally the CDC (center for disease control in D.C.) , AVMA (head of all vets)and the FDA placed medical alerts against grain free food as it leads to heart disease, bone disorders and too much fat for the gi tract (ie gassy bully). If people don’t listen to the top government agencies and top veterianary agency that is fine too, I will continue to have owners that spend thousands of dollars fixing their dog from your advice. Btw the raw diets are soon to be banned and also have official alerts.
I just wanted to chime in and agree with this. Veterinarians are now recommending not doing grain-free particularly in response to the concerns and FDA warnings about potential heart problems. Main culprits are suspected as any derivation of peas, chickpeas, or other legumes being included in the top ingredients.
Do you feel that cooking fresh meats and using a premix (such as Sojos premis) or adding additional ingredients are justifiably better than high end kibble? Not wanting to waste the time or money unless it’s truly better. Also, do you feel that you should change your dog’s food every so often, and if so how often? I have the pickiest 2 year old French Bulldog, he only eats about once every other day. I finally found a food he would eat about 3 months ago Royal Canin French Bulldog, which I’m not sure if it was the flavor or the fact that they were bigger kibbles, but now he’s back to only eating it when he’s really hungry so looking to move on to something else. Was considering a homemade food or trying again with the trial and error on a kibble not even being sure which protein sources would be the best. He’s not an overly allergic dog other than paw licking, but does get terrible gas issues if feed him the wrong thing. Thanks!
What do u think of this food? it’s been recommended to me.
https://www.chewy.com/zignature-kangaroo-limited/dp/118058?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Zignature&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiPXh0PW03wIVg0SGCh1u-g9oEAQYASABEgJfdfD_BwE
Thank you for the great information. My French Bulldog Bentley is 4 months old and hasn’t had a solid poop since we brought him home! He was eating Blue Buffalo Chicken for Puppies. He was also pooping like 10 times a day!! I just purchased some raw chicken and lamb meat patties made by Carnivora from Saskatoon, SK, Canada that contain the meat, bones, heard, kidney and liver and he immediately had a solid poop that very day. The store I purchased from specializes in raw food for dogs and cats and recommended watching the Netflix documentary. Thanks again. Love your blog.
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Quick question. Are raw meats okay? My vet had mention to us about avoiding raw meat due to parasites, she also said to fully cook them. Any ideas.
My question is, why cook the meat? Dogs have the ability to eat it raw without getting sick, so why cook it? They also can eat raw bones and get all that nutritious marrow out of the bone. And since it’s not cooked, the bones won’t splinter and hurt them. And please don’t cook it in canola oil. That shit shouldn’t be ingested by humans or dogs!
Thank you for this information. We are struggling with our Frenchie as a byproduct of our struggle with our American Bulldog Jack, who only lived to 4 1/2 years. It was raw feeding him that took us into the nightmare of food allergies, skin issues and complete unhealthiness.
We want to do what’s best for our frenchie Vinnie. He’s on shitty kibble from Costco because that’s what his breeder fed him. We are terrified to change that because of what we’ve been through. We’ve toyed with the idea of raw, again, terrified, but we worry that he won’t be able to chew bones. He has enough trouble chewing his kibble and gags and horks a lot. I don’t really know if that’s a frenchie thing, he is our first one. He is horribly gassy and has loose stools since the day we got him. By lose I mean runny, super loose, don’t hold thier shape poops. We got him when he was 7 months old. Apparently he had none of these issues prior to our adopting him.
I asked the breeder what they though about us feeding him raw and they were as leary as we are. We got our AB from them, and now our frenchie. They know the whole history of our lives with Jack. We tried raw, we home cooked, we tried allergy food, we went to a holistic vet and gave him stuff for his hind gut, we tried everything to make that dog better so he could live his best life. In the end, none of it worked. We don’t want to lose Vinnie in a few short years, we want him around for as long as we can, the espected life span time.
I guess I just need help, maybe some encouragement and reassurance that we won’t be going down this same path with him we did with Jack. Raw is how we found out he was allergic to chicken, turkey, salmon, beef, pork, you name it, he was allergic and broke out in open sores and had terrible fungal and yeast infections, red skin, no hair, etc. It was miserable.
Hi! I have been following your feeding advice since we got our Frenchie almost 4 years ago. Have you changed your stance on grains? I thought you advocated no grains, or was it just no wheat? I noticed that Dr. Harvey’s contains lots of grains. Thank you so much!
Hey, I love this article, Currently, I feed my Frenchie tinned dog food and kibble but I’m not sure its enough variation, Do you think I should add different foods into my dog’s diet? I’ve also read that you can introduce Fruit and vegetables into a dog’s diet but I’m trying to keep cost down, not too sure adding all these extra ingredients.
Hello I have a nursing Frenchie pups are five days old. Are there any raw foods that I should avoid giving momma?
I’m disabled and am trying to find the best thing I can feed my frenchie, that I’m able to manage getting and preparing. I would really love to hear your opinion on companies like The Farmers Dog, Ollie, Nom Nom, etc. Would you recommend any mail order company for someone who isn’t really able to make meals themselves?
Hello,
I have a 5 year old frenchie and I finally did an allergy test on him. Now that I know his food allergies it’s very hard to find dry food that doesn’t contain certain things. Any suggestions? The allergy test company sent me recommendations based on his allergies which were Hills Prescription Diet, Royal Canin, and Purina Pro Plan.
I ha e used all types of Fromms food for my frenchie and previously to my Boston. I used the puppy grain free until she was 10 months old then switched her to Fromms grain free Duck and I have tried lamb, she didn’t like the surf and turf but I think it’s the beef cause she loves lobster and cod treats. I have also found a new kibble called GO which she loves to eat too.
Hi, I have a frenchie he is very picky with his food, I’ve tried kibble with grains and I notice he would have an allergic reaction. Than I change him to little Giants at first he was fine but than it made his tummy upset…. So I decided to cook for him ground meats, sweet potato, green beans, spinach, and one plate I prepare with brown rice and the 2nd plate with quinoa…. I put both plates infront of him to see which he would pick…. He sniff both of them, the one with brown rice he rejected and the one with quinoa he ate it with enjoyment ….plus I add other ingredients to it….I would like to give him kibble, but not sure which kind. Hopefully you can help me on this one.